Chickenhawk (sexuality)
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For other uses, see Chickenhawk.
- A "chickenhawk" is an older gay man who seeks out much younger males (especially twinks) for sexual relationships. It is sometimes used as a disparaging vulgarity within the LGBT community, or seen as a slur against people in that community. The label can also be applied to a man who seeks partners with the look of someone young, regardless of their target's age.
- Much less frequently, "chickenhawk" indicates a man who uses underage boys for his sexual pleasure. The usage was publicized by members of the controversial group NAMBLA in their 1994 film Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys. [1]
The logic of this idiom depends upon equating young males with chickens: As chickenhawks are thought to prey upon chickens (fowl) then, metaphorically, older gay men who "prey" on younger males, i.e. "chicken", are called "chickenhawks".
