Halekon are young men in Pushtun (Afghan) culture who have sexual relations
with older men. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times (April 3, 2002):
Visitors might think they see the signs. For one thing, Afghan men tend
to be more intimate with other men in public than is common in the West.
They will kiss, hold hands and drape their arms around each other while
drinking tea or talking.
Moreover, there is a strong streak of dandyism among Pushtun males. Many
line their eyes with kohl, stain their fingernails with henna or walk about
town in clumsy, high-heeled sandals.
The love by men for younger, beautiful males, who are called halekon, is
even enshrined in Pushtun literature. A popular poem by Syed Abdul Khaliq
Agha, who died last year, notes Kandahar's special reputation.
"Kandahar has beautiful halekon," the poem goes.
"They have black eyes and white cheeks."
But a visitor who comments on such things is likely to be told they are not
signs of homosexuality. Hugging doesn't mean sex, locals insist. Men who
use kohl and henna are simply "uneducated." Regardless, when asked directly,
few deny that a significant percentage of men in this region have sex with
men and boys.