Gay Chicken

[kevyn]

There seems to be a new fad out there among young men that has me intrigued: Gay Chicken.

It's just like a regular game of chicken -- where two competitors speed towards one another, and the first to veer off loses. It's a test of courage and resolve.

In Gay Chicken, two guys move as if to kiss each other, and the one to pull away first is the loser.

This has turned into quite the YouTube fad. Doing a search for "Gay Chicken" on YouTube, you'll find literally hundreds of videos like this:

Intrigued, I started researching the fad. The oldest reference to it I can find appears to be an episode of Scrubs that aired in early 2004 (I'm still trying to confirm the air date & episode name of the clip. Edit: title "My Screw Up," Episode 14, Season 3, first aired February 24, 2004.) I don't know if Scrubs started the craze, or merely popularized (and perhaps named) the game.

What fascinates me about this whole thing -- besides the obvious titillation of seeing two guys kiss -- is what it says about the evolution of masculinity and dominance in young men in our culture. Here is a game that pits two of our culture's greatest masculine fears against each other: fear of being perceived as gay, and fear of being perceived as a coward. The winner is the one that can overcome the fear of being seen as gay, thus proving their courage and masculinity.

With the increasing tolerance of same-sex relations among younger people, I think this fad can be seen as a welcome move towards normalization of homoeroticism. The images of men kissing are nowhere near as shocking as they were a decade ago, and many young men who would never dream of engaging in conduct like this in the past are willing to do it now, if only to prove they aren't cowards.

Of course, young men who are exploring their sexuality may find this a gateway into further explorations, since it breaks the social barrier of having "kissed a guy" -- and in front of witnesses and peers, no less.

Thanks to crimsonsaint, who made me aware of the trend when he posted this parody video on his blog:

Comments

[lostncove.livejournal.com]

This is fascinating. I must do more research. For a variety of reasons.

[djmadadam.livejournal.com]

It's a good game to play with co-workers. And at family reunions.

[tianas-knife.livejournal.com]

Mike says that there is a gay chicken like situation in american pie 2. I don't know if that predates the scrubs clip or not, but I think it does. I also don't think its called gay chicken, though.

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

This was 2004, and American Pie 2 was 2001, so it definitely preceded it. I never saw the second American Pie. I need to get hold of a clip for my research.

[bluebear2.livejournal.com]

I remember back in the '80s there was a straight guy who would kiss men at parties to see what reaction they would have. Just a fun party game I guess.
He never did it to me though.

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

No doubt he knew! Gay Chicken only works when there's some resistance to it in the participants.

[man-of-snows.livejournal.com]

I just like playing spin the bottle and having everyone disregard gender and sexuality.

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, just like Alanis Morrissette and Sarah Jessica Parker. HOT!

[twobraids.livejournal.com]

That it so fucking strange.

Ok, I want to stage one of these. I imagine a drunken party scene with a bunch of noisy people and two bearded inked biker types being goaded into gay chicken. They resist but then finally consent after each boasting that the other is going down. With very unsteady camera work, they do it with neither backing off. They hold an obvious tongue kiss for a few seconds. The partyers around them raise an uproar. They're both dead silent as they pull apart looking disturbed. The camera angle goes wonky as we hear one of them say, "fuck, my old lady doesn't kiss that good." The video clip cuts off...

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

Shit I'd pay money to see that!

[gmjambear]

A Purple Haze mondegreen:

"'Scuse me while I kiss this guy."

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

Make a great soundtrack!

[djmadadam.livejournal.com]

I've been edyoocated.

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

Research update: UrbanDictionary.com's first entry on the subject appears Mar 6, 2004.

[baxil.livejournal.com]

Meh. Interesting trend, but is it really all that great a development? After all, the whole premise of "gay chicken" is that gay behavior is still something to be avoided. If the participants really had a positive or even neutral view of homosexuality, there would be no incentive to "chicken" and all attempts would end in kisses.

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

I agree that, from a big picture perspective, the idea that gay behaviour is something to be avoided is at the heart of the game. In an ideal world, the game shouldn't exist at all.

But there's another angle here: in our imperfect world, one where gay behaviour HAS been shunned, the appearance of the game is a positive development. It does several positive things: First of all, acknowledges homophobia, brings submerged fear into the light, and does it in a playful way. It allows men to confront the fear of and discomfort with gay behaviour in a socially acceptable manner. It desensitizes young men to the behaviour, because now they've engaged in it themselves.

And, it does all of this brilliantly by tying overcoming the fear to another strong cultural drive in males: the fear of being seen as cowardly.

I can't help but see all this as positive.

[baxil.livejournal.com]

... That's fair. Good response.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Gandhi