What Is the Colored Handkerchief Code in LGBTQIA+ Culture?

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Explore the various meanings of bandana colors in hanky code
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If you’ve ever been to a queer event like Pride, or even just a queer-friendly city like San Francisco, you’ve probably seen people wear bandanas in their back pockets. Often, they’re using handkerchief code, which is a historical and low-key way for LGBTQ+ people to identify each other and their sexual desires. We’ll tell you more about what it is, what the colors mean, and its history, with help from LGBTQ+ Journalist Mira Lazine. We’ll also answer your burning FAQs to catch you up to speed on this iconic part of queer culture.

Gay Hanky Code Meaning

According to LGBTQ+ Journalist Mira Lazine, handkerchief code is a way for LGBTQ+ people to discreetly recognize other LGBTQ+ people and their sexual desires. Bandanas are worn in the back pocket, and the color and position of the bandana indicate the particular sexual desire. It started in San Francisco in the 1960s and 70s as a low-key way to navigate the gay scene.

Section 1 of 5:

What is the handkerchief code?

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  1. According to Lazine, handkerchief code emerged in the ‘60s & ‘70s. [1] It was a way for LGBTQ+ people to communicate their sexual preferences to each other in a discreet way. "Hanky code" helped them find like-minded people to meet and interact with without drawing too much attention to themselves. [2]
    • According to Lazine, “Hanky code, also known as 'flagging,' [involved] different colored handkerchiefs [being] placed visibly in back pockets [and] were used as a nonverbal signal for gay men to identify each other.” [3]
    • With hanky code, a queer person places a bandana in their back pocket. The color of the bandana and which pocket it’s in signal their particular preference.
    • For example, a navy blue bandana in the left pocket signals that a person is a top, or likes to penetrate during sex, while a navy blue hanky in the right pocket signals that someone is a bottom, or likes to be penetrated.

    Meet the wikiHow Expert

    Mira Lazine is a journalist specializing in LGBTQ+ issues and politics. She’s a transfeminine writer acclaimed for providing a methodical, accurate, and investigative slant to the world of queer reporting.

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Section 2 of 5:

Handkerchief Code Chart

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  1. Hanky code started fairly simple, with just a handful of colors representing a handful of sexual practices. Over time, though, it’s expanded to include many, many more—so many that it’s sometimes hard to tell one shade from another. Here are some of the basic handkerchief colors and their meanings : [4]
    • Navy Blue: Anal sex. Left pocket indicates a top, right indicates a bottom.
    • Light Blue: Oral sex. Left indicates a receiver, right indicates a giver.
    • Gray: Bondage. Left indicates someone who ties, right indicates someone who is tied.
    • White: Safety. Left or right, this usually indicates someone who’s safe-sex conscious and may want something other than penetration.
    • Orange: Public. Left indicates that they’re actively looking for sex ASAP, while right indicates they’re looking for something later.
    • Lazine says, “The exact meanings of each color and pocket vary, although there are some consistencies. For instance, the back left pocket typically signified a more dominant role, or alternatively the role of the top. The back right pocket typically signified a submissive role, or alternatively the role of the bottom.” [5]
    • Lazine continues, “There are a few consistent colors as well–red signifying fisting, yellow for watersports, brown for scatplay, black for sadism and/or masochism, and dark blue for anal sex. Many other colors exist—the leather kink organization ONYX lists purple as referring to piercing, light blue as referring to 69ing, gray referring to bondage. This is, however, not standardized.” [6]
Section 3 of 5:

Origins of Handkerchief Code

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  1. At that time, being any sort of LGBTQ+ person was taboo and often criminalized, so queer people often struggled to find and identify each other, instead having to stay low-key and discreet. San Francisco, though, remained a haven for many queer people, and queer people in the city began to signal their preferences to others using hanky code. [7]
    • Lazine says, “The queer hanky code emerged back in the ‘60s and ‘70s in response to sodomy laws across the United States. These laws, used as justification to criminalize queer existence, required the queer community to find ways to connect while getting around them.” [8]
    • The practice likely started in leather fetish and cruising communities. “Cruising” is when a queer person discreetly searches for sex in public.
    • According to Lazine, “It isn't known exactly where the code began. It's believed that it emerged in leather and BDSM kink scenes around gay cultures in cities, often seen in designated bars or motorcycle clubs. At [the] time, it wasn't widely documented due to the secretive nature it required, however it is known that it also extended to lesbian scenes shortly thereafter, and given the inherent integration of trans people into the queer community, many also partook in flagging.” [9]
    • Some historians say the practice began when a reporter for the queer publication The Village Voice suggested that gay people use hankies to signal their desires, rather than keys—at the time, a key in the left or right pocket indicated whether someone was a top or bottom. [10]
  2. In the mid-1800s, San Francisco saw a huge influx in its population due to the Mexican-American War. Most of the newcomers were men, which led to a huge gap in the number of men versus the number of women. That meant that at social functions, men were often forced to dance with each other. This led to some men wearing a blue bandana to signal that they would take the lead, while others wore red bandanas to show they’d follow along in the woman’s position. [11]
    • This tradition likely inspired later versions of the hanky code.
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Section 4 of 5:

Handkerchief Code in Modern Times

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  1. Flagging became less prevalent starting in the ‘90s and ‘00s, when queer identities began to find more acceptance, and queer people didn’t have to hide so much. That said, they’re still used even today, and you can see plenty of people flagging if you hit up a pride parade, Fire Island, or any other queer space. It’s still a fun and useful way to tell who’s who in the queer community! [12]
    • Unfortunately, there’s still plenty of concern for the safety of queer people, especially in the current cultural climate, and even flagging is sometimes seen as risky.
    • Lazine notes, “These different yet similar shades of color can be sources of confusion, but what is widely agreed upon as the resolution to this confusion is also agreed as necessary for any sexual encounter in any sense—consent.” [13]
    • Lazine continues, “Throughout history, queer and kink scenes emphasized the need for consent as central to any sexual activity done. The hanky code was only a way to signify potential people to have further conversations about certain topics, and was never meant to be an all-in-one solution. Flagging is a way to spawn further communication, and not an end in itself. Consent, as with anything, is key.” [14]
Section 5 of 5:

Handkerchief Code FAQ

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  1. 1
    Can lesbians use the handkerchief code? Yes! Hanky code isn’t just for gay men. People of every stripe in the LGBTQ+ community have long been flagging to help identify each other, whether they’re lesbian, trans, non-binary, or anything else. In fact, some communities, like lesbian and trans communities, have their own tweaks and additions to the code specific to their scene.
  2. 2
    Can non-LGBTQ+ people use hanky code? That’s a bit more complicated. Typically, hanky code is used by and for LGBTQ+ people, and if you use it, LGBTQ+ people are going to assume you’re one of us. Still, some fetish communities use it, too, to signal their specific desires and kinks, even if they’re not LGBTQ+. Be aware of the history and meaning of hanky code before you decide to dive in.
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      References

      1. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview
      2. ↑ https://cmen.org/pdf/Hanky_Code.pdf
      3. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview
      4. ↑ https://www.allgaylong.com/blog/history-of-the-hanky-code-and-its-significance-in-lgbtq-history/
      5. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview
      6. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview
      7. ↑ https://www.them.us/story/what-is-the-hanky-code-gay-flagging
      8. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview
      9. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview
      1. ↑ https://www.sfgayhistory.com/2014/08/27/origins-of-the-hanky-code/
      2. ↑ https://www.sfgayhistory.com/2014/08/27/origins-of-the-hanky-code/
      3. ↑ https://www.them.us/story/what-is-the-hanky-code-gay-flagging
      4. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview
      5. ↑ Mira Lazine. LGBTQ+ Journalist. Expert Interview

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