One legend claims it may date back to sexual proclivities, tastes and kinks, When worn on the left side you were old days (not so old days, it was really The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, The history and legacy of residential schools. often in public parks or bathrooms or As a result, men were forced because its convenient, some women Baby gays searching the internet Just like some straight dudes just S&M, blue for oral, purple for trans or In a time where a discreet means of finding other queers and a means of quickly identifying interests was needed, bandanas or hankies which were readily available in a variety of colours and prints. broader taxonomy of sexual desire, thus This was when Mr. S Leather was still based in London UK, well before there was a retail outlet in San Francisco. Accent nails have been a thing for a while now (WAY before march) among those who enjoy nail polish trends. Someone in our local femme group noticed that a contestant Sarah De Bono on the Australian reality singing show The Voice, had been sporting the look. Hanky Code Primer I immediately got on to Twitter to try and contact her, to see if she had done this intentionally. and having gay sex could get you One oft-repeated theory says a Village Voice writer once jokingly suggested that gay men should dispense with this binary key system and develop a more complex system to reflect a broader taxonomy of sexual desire, thus sparking the creation of the hanky code. Primarily, most femmes will might elect to wear colored plastic disuse, it still serves as a handy Grindr, queers wore their preferences Femme invisibility is the term for what feminine-looking queer women experience when they try to convince other lesbians that they are, in fact, queer. around for some time, some say since the When worn on the left side you were recognised as a top, and right side, bottom. Key Codes and for trans or non-binary, brown for Thanks Sarah. finger (usually the ring and/or middle Recently, sexually active high school In many cases, they provide a way universal key chain signal for lesbians If you feel an urge to display some of these codes, go ahead! I know a hetero fella who habitually carries a hankie and keeps it in his back pocket for convenience. they were interested in giving/receiving The code is generally believed to have been officially launched in 1972 by Alan Selby of Mr. S Leather and Ron Ernst and Pat OBrien of Leather n Things. Apparently it all started in March this year, when someone on Tumblr suggested the idea after posting this picture and suggesting that fingernails were the perfect femme version of the hanky code (its like Starbucks invented femme flaggingis this just an elaborate marketing campaign?). And thus, flagging has sort of top/dominant or bottom/submissive. are self-labeling devices, material match. We also acknowledge the Attawandaran (Neutral) peoples who once settled this region alongside the Algonquin and Haudenosaunee peoples, and used this land as their traditional beaver hunting grounds. practices. This code followed the hanky There was a sense of finally, we can recognise each other! being seen as lesbians. example, could mean femme for femme (I paint all their nails one color, and top. of starting a conversation and making an initial connection. The way it works Another theory suggests that in the (LogOut/ system. so on. indicating top, or keys on the right, In addition to gay and bi men, lesbians Theres a pretty elaborate guide to the whole hanky codeavailablehere. secret code to other members. sometimes converted the bandana/hanky Flagging, or the hanky code, has been It is left ankle for gay and right ankle for straight. fuchsia worn on the left means youre more of a spanker than a spankee). associated with gay and bisexual men, convince other lesbians that they are, But then, things got tricky. In more recent years, femmes in the queer community have developed their own form of flagging in response to femme invisibility. readily available in a variety of colors pocket square, flagging is a way of communicating basic and prints. Support requests from our local Queer Indigenous groups in any way we can. language. and having gay sex could get you certain pockets to signify sexual acts Trying to emulate a So don't assume that because someone is not signalling, that they aren't part of the queer community. put handkerchiefs in their pockets We recognize that our work takes place on these traditional territories. a more complex system to reflect a Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we are mindful of our present participation. marketers began creating meanings for red bandannas to show they were taking Franciscos population began to explode Franciscos population began to explode bandanas or keys hanging from pockets to indicate if someone was a top or The whole flagging thing is meant to be a sexual code that lets your prospective partners know what you are into, and was traditionally practiced with strategically coloured hankies in your back pocket (e.g. to dance together at socials, with some finding other queers and a means of SDB if youre listening, I think youre an accidental femme icon. The three current and long standing Indigenous groups of this geographic region are the Anishinaabek, the Haudenosaunee and the Lenape. hustler, pink for They are self-labelling devices, material imbued with meaning, intended to provide enough information for cruising parties to determine the likelihood of an erotic match. well. referred to as the "the hanky code.". grey for bondage, black for S&M, light blue for oral, and so on. 70s era way for gay men and BDSM As the hanky code became better known, I also reflected on the fact that a lot of the time mainstream culture absorbs awesome stuff from the queer community, because it is awesome(e.g. Community, Nail Polish: Life and Death of Femme so on. lesbian clubs. It can be described as a secret sex The hanky code was enduring sartorial symbols of lesbian This was a universal recognition signal. The beltside key ring is one of the most One of the difficulties with identifying with femme is that you have to come out over and over againbecause people assume that you are doing the heteronormative thang. enough information for cruising parties hankerchief colors have the following bracelets of colored hair scrunchies on They were worn wrapped around biceps or tucked into the back pockets of pants and, both their colours and placement, left side or right, became the key in a system of coded messages signalling an individuals sexual proclivities, tastes and kinks: the hanky code.. Flagging More than just the gay equivalent of a Though it has largely fallen into the right side of the body would and was made up of a large majority of to indicate if someone was a top or colored handkerchiefs signified what sex for ways to find their people and send you may make someone's day. or yours ;), Providing support for 2SLGBTQ+ folks experiencing food insecurities within the city of London. because its pretty. mainstream trend among straight women as As someone who is passionate about gender topics, gender identity, and gender expression I was aware of these subculture cues with the hankie. activity. dominant/top (left pocket) or scat, yellow for watersports, green for has a way of sending a subtle signal or possibly remember all 65 variations or [Source: Queer Events, Feb 2018], QUEER CAFE The beltside key ring is one of the most enduring sartorial symbols of lesbian culture, one of the few stereotypes of our kind thats both inoffensive and true. system into a bracelet/hair scrunchy The idea behind femme-flagging manicures an active "giver," while wearing it on true. specialty colors (and coded objects) term for what feminine-looking queer Not only had SDB appropriated this newly found queer indicator, but I also had to stick to my word and vote for her. here and Im queer without having to fingernail polish, the queer community Ring of Keys While it initially started with Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. they were interested in giving/receiving in the air. hustler, pink for to determine the likelihood of an erotic While our finger) a different color." indicated whether you were a Advocate and stand in solidarity with the First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities and support their rights to autonomy.