Dante "Tex" Gill

Dante "Tex" Gill
Born
Lois Jean Gill

(1930-04-02)April 2, 1930
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 8, 2003(2003-01-08) (aged 72)
UPMC McKeesport, McKeesport, Pennsylvania, United States
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Criminal chargeTax evasion
Criminal penalty13-year sentence
Criminal statusGangster, pimp
Spouses
  • Albert Joseph Dunn
  • Cynthia Bruno[1]

Dante "Tex" Gill (April 2, 1930−January 8, 2003) was an American trans man gangster and massage parlor owner.[2][3]

Biography

Gill was born on April 2, 1930,[2] to parents Walter and Agnes.[4]

Gill was an expert equestrian, working as a blacksmith and riding teacher at Schenley Park's stable in his younger years.

Gill managed Spartacus Massage Parlor in McKees Rocks, the Japanese Meditation Temple, and the Taurean Models massage parlor. Authorities raided Spartacus in 1978, at which time Gill threw a birthday cake at an undercover state trooper.

Gill went to trial at federal court in 1984 for income tax fraud.

In 1984, Gill was sent to prison for 13 years.[3][5] After only serving three years in prison, he was released in November 1987.[2]

Scarlett Johansson planned to take on the role of Gill in the film Rub & Tug, but withdrew after widespread criticism as she is a cisgender woman.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ Sheridan, Peter (July 6, 2018). "Amazing life of transgender gangster Mr Gill". Express.
  2. ^ a b c "The complex and tough Dante "Tex" Gill". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 17, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary: Dante 'Tex' Gill / Sexually ambivalent rub parlor owner". old.post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018.
  4. ^ Riedel, Samantha (July 11, 2018). "The True Story of Dante "Tex" Gill — And Why Scarlett Johansson Could NEVER". them. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Hunter, Brad (July 8, 2018). "Trans crime kingpin Mr. Gill 'was very tough'". Toronto Sun. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "Don't let Scarlett Johansson dropping out kill Hollywood's first trans studio film — Opinion". Salon. July 18, 2018.
  7. ^ "Scarlett Johansson drops out of transgender role after widespread criticism". Independent. July 13, 2018.
  8. ^ "Scarlett Johansson 'Rub & Tug' Debate Would Make Dante 'Tex' Gill Laugh". TheWrap. July 12, 2018.

Further reading

  • Whitlatch, Christopher (2023). Notorious Pittsburgh. (With illustrations by Joe Wos). Pittsburgh: Christopher Whitlatch. x + 146 pp. ISBN 9798377804383. (Chapter 17: "The Toughest, Sweetest Person You Ever Met". pp. 80–86).


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