02/02/2026
In 1971, a journalist for New York's Village Voice wrote a joke article suggesting that instead of wearing keys to signal if you were a "top" or "bottom," gay men should use colored handkerchiefs to communicate specific sexual interests.
The community took him seriously - and the hanky code was born.
Within months, gay bars across America filled with men sporting colored bandanas in their back pockets.
Left pocket meant you were dominant, right pocket meant submissive. There were eventually dozens of colors, each signaling different preferences.
The code became essential for survival. In the 1970s, being openly gay could get you arrested, fired, or beaten. The handkerchief code let men find compatible partners discreetly in parks, bathrooms, and leather bars.
