The other night, while scrolling through Twitter (X), I came across another example of gay thirst at its peak. A certain alleged criminal (let’s call him Luigi M. ) was making headlines, not just for his legal troubles but also for some leaked explicit videos. And instead of outrage, my feed was full of comments like “Would,” heart emojis, and one particularly bold tweet that simply said: Daddy, arrest me.

It made me stop and think: Do we even care about the crime?

We (gay men) have always been drawn to desire and fantasy. We idealize, we objectify, we turn men into icons of lust. But when that man is a criminal, where do we draw the line? What is it about a felon that sparks attraction instead of concern?

Why Are Criminals Sexy?

There’s something about a bad boy that grabs our attention. Maybe it’s the confidence, the rebellion, or the excitement of someone who doesn’t follow the rules. Maybe it’s because, as gay men, we’ve spent so much of history outside the rules ourselves. Or maybe it’s just because muscles look hotter in a mugshot.

And it’s not just us, straight women have fallen for criminals forever. Ted Bundy had fan mail. The “hot felon” Jeremy Meeks went from prison to a modeling career. Even Tiger King’s Joe Exotic somehow had husbands.

Fantasy vs. Reality

Of course, there’s a difference between finding the idea of a bad boy sexy and actually wanting to be with a dangerous person. That’s why we fantasize about the tough guy with a rough past, the corrupt cop, the reformed ex-con, someone thrilling but not necessarily harmful. But when real crimes are involved, does the attraction fade, or do we ignore it?

So what is it really? Do we want the man, or just the image? And are we all just one leaked sex tape away from forgetting the red flags?

I don’t have the answer. But as I saw yet another tweet thirsting over a criminal, I wonder: “Is this fantasy meant to stay in my mind, or would I actually go for it?” … I mean …. would you? 😉