- Handkerchief code
Handkerchief code or hanky code (also known as bandana code and "flagging") is a way of indicating, usually among
gay malecasual sex -seekers orBDSM practitioners in theleather subculture in theUnited States ,Canada andEurope , whether they are a top or bottom, and what kind of sex they are seeking, by wearing cotton color-codedhandkerchief s (bandana s), usually in the back pocket. Hanky code was widely used in the 1970s; it is much less common today, but can still be found in some areas. [ Simon Gage, Lisa Richards, Howard Wilmot "Queer" New York:2002--Unanimous Ltd ISBN 1-56025-377-0 Page 82]Today the bandanas are worn almost exclusively in the rear trouser pocket, on the left side of the body for tops and on the right for bottoms, just as tops wear their keys on the left belt loop and bottoms on the right. In the past bandanas might be worn tied around the neck (with the knot positioned on either the left or right side); around the ankle (when wearing boots or when undressed); hung from the left or right side of the belt, or on other parts of the body.
There is no universally understood color code, and regional codes vary widely. There is general agreement upon the colors for more common practices, particularly those with an intuitive relation between the color and the practice, such as yellow for watersports; brown for scat; and black for SM, but no absolute consensus for less common practices.
Origin
The wearing of various colored bandanas around the neck was common in the mid- and late-nineteenth century among
cowboy s, steam railroad engineers, andminer s in theWestern United States . It is thought that the wearing ofbandanas bygay men originated inSan Francisco after the Gold Rush, when, because of a shortage of women, men dancing with each other insquare dance s developed a code wherein the man wearing theblue bandana took themale part in the square dance, and the man wearing thered bandana took thefemale part (these bandanas were usually worn around the arm or hanging from the belt or in the back pocket of one'sjeans ). [ Susan Stryker and Jim Van Buskirk "Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area" San Francisco:1996--Chronicle Books ISBN 0-8118-1187-5 Page 18]Examples of hanky code
ee also
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Castro clone References
Further reading
*Jacques, Trevor "On the Safe Edge: A Manual for SM Play" (ISBN 1-895857-05-8)
*Townsend, Larry "The Leatherman's Handbook" 1973External links
* http://www.GayCityUSA.com/hankycodes.htm
* http://www.maturecoupons.com/gay_hanky_code.htm
* http://www.sexuality.org/l/bdsm/hanky.html
* http://members.aol.com/OfficerJim/hankycodes.html
* http://alt.xmission.com/~trevin/hanky.html
* http://www.adventurersfl.com/hanky.html
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