Chickenhawk (sexuality)
Encyclopedia
A chickenhawk or chicken hawk is slang
used in American
and British
gay
culture to denote older males who prefer younger males for partners, who may less often be called "chickens", i.e., the prey of the chickenhawk. Other variations include chicken queen and chicken plucker.
It is sometimes used as a disparaging vulgar
ity within the LGBT
community, or seen as a slur
against people in that community. The label can be applied to a man who seeks partners with the look of someone young, regardless of their target's age.
"Chickenhawk" also indicates a man who uses underage boys
for his sexual pleasure. The usage was publicized by members of the controversial group NAMBLA in the 1994
documentary film
Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys
, although Time magazine
reported it in this sense in 1975.
The use and significance of this term have been the subject of academic discussions as well as popular reports.
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
used in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
culture to denote older males who prefer younger males for partners, who may less often be called "chickens", i.e., the prey of the chickenhawk. Other variations include chicken queen and chicken plucker.
It is sometimes used as a disparaging vulgar
VULGAR
Vulgar is the fourth studio album released by Dir En Grey on September 10, 2003 in Japan and on February 21, 2006 in Europe. A limited edition containing an additional DVD was also released. It featured the video of the song "Obscure", albeit a censored version...
ity within the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community, or seen as a slur
Sexual slur
A sexual slur is a term of disparagement used to refer to members of a given sexual minority, gender, sex, or sexual orientation in a derogatory or pejorative manner...
against people in that community. The label can be applied to a man who seeks partners with the look of someone young, regardless of their target's age.
"Chickenhawk" also indicates a man who uses underage boys
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
for his sexual pleasure. The usage was publicized by members of the controversial group NAMBLA in the 1994
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys
Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys
Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys is a 1994 documentary produced, written and directed by Adi Sideman. In the film, members of the pedophile/pederasty advocacy organization North American Man/Boy Love Association discuss why they support sexual relationships between men and boys below the age of...
, although Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
reported it in this sense in 1975.
The use and significance of this term have been the subject of academic discussions as well as popular reports.
See also
- Age disparity in sexual relationshipsAge disparity in sexual relationshipsAge disparity in sexual relationships refers to sexual relations between people with a significant difference in age. Whether these relationships are accepted and the question of what counts as a significant difference in age has varied over time; and varies over cultures, different legal systems,...
- Cougar (slang)
- EphebophiliaEphebophiliaEphebophilia is the sexual preference of adults for mid-to-late adolescents, generally ages 15 to 19. The term was originally used in the late 19th to mid 20th century, and has been more recently revisited by Ray Blanchard. It is one of a number of sexual preferences across age groups subsumed...
- Troll