A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.

This is the version from 20 Sep 07, 10:26 PM. The full history of this entry will show any more recent versions.

ICcode for "Handkerchief codes"

[b]Handkerchief code[/b], more commonly known as [b]hanky code[/b], was
a way of indicating, usually among [about=gay]gay[/about] and gay
[about=Leather Community]Leather[/about] casual sex seekers or
[about=BDSM]BDSM[/about] practitioners in the US and Canada, whether
they were a [about=top (sex)]top[/about] or [about=bottom
(sex)]bottom[/about], and what kind of sex they were seeking, by wearing
colour-coded handkerchiefs (or some other piece of material), usually in
the back pocket of [about=jeans]jeans[/about]. These were worn on the
left side of the body for tops and the right for bottoms (this division
is still somewhat common: tops may wear [about=Key Codes]keys[/about] on
the left belt loop and bottoms on the right, for example). 

There is no universally understood colour code, and there may have been
regional variations. There is, however, a general agreement on the
colours for more common practices: yellow for
[about=watersports]watersports[/about], red for
[about=fisting]fisting[/about], navy for [about=anal intercourse]anal
intercourse[/about], grey for [about=bondage]bondage[/about] and black
for generalised [about=S&M]S&M[/about], but there was no consensus for
the more uncommon practices, mainly because of the difficulty in
acquiring such coloured handkerchiefs, but particularly because no one
save for a gay sex shop clerk ever bothered to learn them all. 

It is less common than it used to be, perhaps due to the advent of
Internet dating and the coming out of more members of the leather and
BDSM communities. For the universally understood colours, however, the
basic hanky code still holds, and, for the totally
[about=out]out[/about], is often a part of one's everyday street wear
(but red hankies need to be further explicated before one makes a pass
in non-gay contexts).


[heading]Further Reading



[item]Trevor Jacques, "On the Safe Edge: A Manual for SM Play" (ISBN
1-895857-05-8)


[heading]Related Topics


[item][about=BDSM]BDSM[/about]

[item][about=Leather]Leather[/about]

[item][about=Gay]Gay[/about]


[heading]External links


[item][url=http://www.maturecoupons.com/gay_hanky_code.htm]Gay hanky
codes[/url] (brief)

[item] [url=http://members.aol.com/OfficerJim/hankycodes.html]"The
Compleat Handkerchief Code"[/url]

[item][url=http://www.gaycityusa.com/hankycodes.htm]Gay hanky
codes[/url] (extensive but possibly debatable)




(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the
[url=http://www.londonfetishscene.com/wipi/index.php/Handkerchief_codes]Handkerchief
codes[/url] article in Wipipedia.)

This entry is published under the terms of the GFDL. People with profiles on Informed Consent can improve this entry: see the BDSM Dictionary help page for details.