Pillow Biter

'Pillow biter' is a vulgar slang term for a gay man who takes the receptive role in anal sex, drawing on the image of biting a pillow during the act. It has long been used as a homophobic insult and reflects cultural stigma around male receptive sexuality. The phrase is often traced to the 1979 trial of British politician Jeremy Thorpe, where Norman Scott's account of reluctant receptive sex helped fix the expression in popular use. Like many slurs, it is occasionally reclaimed with ironic humor inside gay communities, but it remains offensive and demeaning in most contexts, especially when aimed at someone by an outsider. Treat it as a term to understand, not one to use.