Handkerchief codes

Here are entered works on codes used primarily by gay men to indicate their preferred sexual interests and practices by the color and placement of handkerchiefs in their pockets.

found: Work cat.: The unabridged hanky code, via WWW, Aug. 22, 2000("... if it is worn on the left the person is a dom (or top), worn on the right means sub (or bottom) ... The different colors (and materials) have different specific meanings to indicate the wearer's additional preferences. The hanky code is mainly used by the gay community, however some heterosexuals do use a few of them ...")

found: Stewart, W. Cassell's queer companion : a dict. of lesbian and gay life and culture, 1995(hankie codes: Method of advertising sexual tastes in public used by gay men since the sexual heyday of the 1970s in order to facilitate cruising ... It consists of a series of different coloured hankies representing different activities or attributes. They are worn in the different trouser pockets with a hankie on the left meaning I do it to you (or I am that type) and on the right meaning you do it to me (or I want that type). Predictably, gay communities were too dizzy to actually get together and agree on one series of meanings, so there are variations used.)

found: Deviants' dictionary, via WWW, Aug. 22, 2000:codes and symbols/the hanky code ("The hanky code originated in the early 1970s primarily as a means of distinguishing more specific sexual interests when the original SM (or at least DS)-orientated leather scene was enlarging and style of dress could not be relied upon as an indicator of more esoteric sexual interests. The codes used have varied from time to time and place to place, and the many subsequently published collected versions contain numerous variants and contradictions ... The general principle is to wear the appropriate colour in the back pocket of your jeans so that it is clearly showing, choosing the side according to the left-right convention described above, where left means top or active and right means bottom or passive.")

found: Wizard's gay slang dictionary, via WWW, Aug. 22, 2000(Hanky Codes: The handkerchief code was a way, for men to recognize each other with then meet on the streets, bar, clubs, movies, and parks. The handkerchief code used location and color, to indicate the sexual interests, of the potential sex partners.)

found: The canonical hanky code, via WWW, Aug. 22, 2000("The Hanky Code is a traditional form of signalling to others what your sexual preferences and interests are. Gay men used this code to communicate with each other in the noisy and distracting environment of gay bars.")

found: Yahoo!, Aug. 22, 2000(category: Society and Culture > Sexuality > Activities and Practices > BDSM > Hanky Codes)

found: Wikipedia, Nov. 10, 2006(Handkerchief code. The handkerchief code, also known as the hanky code, bandana code or flagging is a way of indicating, usually among gay male casual sex seekers or BDSM practitioners in leather subculture in the US and Canada, whether they are a top or bottom, and what kind of sex they are seeking, by wearing cotton, color-coded kerchiefs (bandanas), usually in the back pocket)

found: Homosaurus, July 25, 2023(Handkerchief codes. UF Hanky codes. SN A color-coded system to indicate preferred sexual fetishes and identify whether a person is a top/dominant or bottom/submissive. BT LGBTQ+ symbols)

found: GSSO - the Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation ontology, July 25, 2023(handkerchief code. Synonym: bandana code; flagging; hanky code. Alternate name: handkerchief codes. A color-coded system, employed usually among the gay male casual-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. Note that, since the 1970s, many groups of LGBTQIA+ persons (not just gay men) have started using similar codes in certain spaces.)

found: Global encyclopedia of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) history, 2019, viewed online July 25, 2023:p. 212 (For gay men, the "hanky code" was a way of signaling their desire by carrying different colored handkerchiefs; although it has grown over time, a basic list includes black for S/M, red for fisting, dark blue for anal sex, light blue for oral sex, orange for anything goes, and yellow for watersports or piss play. Worn on the right, the handkerchief indicates that the wearer is the bottom/submissive, and on the left, that the wearer is the top/dominant)

Here are entered works on codes used primarily by gay men to indicate their preferred sexual interests and practices by the color and placement of handkerchiefs in their pockets.