The handkerchief code is a color-coded system, employed usually among the gay malecasual-sex seekers or BDSM practitioners in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, to indicate preferred sexual fetishes, what kind of sex they are seeking, and whether they are a top/dominant or bottom/submissive. Wearing a handkerchief on the left side of the body typically indicates one is a "top", while wearing it on the right side of the body would indicate one is a "bottom". The hanky code was widely used in the 1970s by gay and bisexual men.
Origin
The wearing of various colored bandanas around the neck was common in the mid- and late-nineteenth century among cowboys, steam railroad engineers, and miners in the Western United States. It is thought that the wearing of bandanas by gay men originated in San Franciscoafter the Gold Rush, when, because of a shortage of women, men dancing with each other in square dances developed a code wherein the man wearing the blue bandana took the male part in the square dance, and the man wearing the red bandana took the female part. It is thought that the modern hanky code started in New York City in late 1970 or early 1971 when a journalist for the Village Voice joked that instead of simply wearing keys to indicate whether someone was a "top" or a "bottom", it would be more efficient to subtly announce their particular sexual focus by wearing different colored hankies. Other sources attribute the expansion of the original red–blue system into today's code to marketing efforts around 1971 by the San Francisco department store for erotic merchandise, The Trading Post, promoting handkerchiefs by printing cards listing the meanings of various colors. Alan Selby, founder of Mr. S Leather in San Francisco, claimed that he created the first hanky code with his business partners at Leather 'n' Things in 1972, when their bandana supplier inadvertently doubled their order and the expanded code would help them sell the extra colors they had received. Bob Damron's Address Book is also notable when referencing the Handkerchief Code. Starting in 1964, a businessman by the name of Bob Damron published a book of all the gay bars he knew from his constant travels across the United States. “This book fit comfortably in the palm of your hand,” a description reads. “Despite its petite size, this book was an impressive accomplishment. Each one of the listings he had visited himself. Every last copy of the book he sold himself.” Bob Damron's Address Book also published a yearly chart for the meaning of each colored hanky under the title "COLOR CODES".
Examples
This table is drawn from Larry Townsend's The Leatherman's Handbook II and is generally considered authoritative. Implicit in this list is the concept of left/right polarity, left as usual indicating the top, dominant, or active partner; right the bottom, submissive, or passive partner. Negotiation with a prospective partner remains important because, as Townsend noted, people may wear hankies of any color "only because the idea of the hankie turns them on" or "may not even know what it means".
Color
Meaning
Black
S&M
Blue
Anal sex
Blue
Oral sex
Brown
Scat
Green
Hustler/prostitution
Grey
Bondage
Orange
Anything goes
Purple
Piercing
Red
Fisting
Yellow
Watersports
The longer lists found on the web are more elaborate and the many color codes in them are less often used in practice, although some of these colors are offered for sale at LGBT stores along with free cards listing their meanings.
Modern use
While the hankie code was a semiotic system of sexual advertising popular among the gay leather community of the United States, it is no longer as popular in the modern day era. It may be seen as something kinkier to use in gay pornography, or at sex and fetish events like the Folsom Street Fair. Social networks may have replaced the use of hankies in cruising areas by digitizing the process. By using online platforms, men who have sex with men can eliminate harassment and violence that they may face in public. Social networks for MSM also allow for sub-groups, and for people to list fetishes, and what they are looking for, which is where the replacement of the need for hankies may have come from. Grindr is the most popular app for MSM who use social networks for cruising, with an average of 1.3 hours per day spent on the app per user.
