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Hanky codes, also known as bandana codes or flagging, have a long tradition in the LGBTQ+ community. They are a form of signalling used to indicate a person’s sexual interests and preferences. Before the age of the internet, they allowed for quick and easy information about one’s desires and preferences.
Each colour represents a specific sexual interest. And the placement of the cloth on the body indicates which role the person wants to play. For example, a person wearing a light blue scarf on the left side of the body indicates that they are interested in performing oral sex on another person. While a person wearing a hunting green scarf on the right side of the body indicates that they are interested in having sex outdoors.
What actually is the Hanky Code?
The origin of hanky codes is unclear, but they are believed to have originated from the Gold Rush settlers in mid-19th century San Francisco. In the absence of female dance partners, men used bandanas to indicate their roles as dominant or submissive.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the codes were widely used in the gay community, particularly in the US. They allowed for the quick indication of roles, erotic preferences, and fetishes through a simple colour system. This was a suitable way to express sexual interests when homosexuality faced stigma and criminalization. Bandanas were typically worn in pockets to signify preferences.
While hanky codes are still a cultural practice in the LGBTQ+ community, they are not universally understood or recognized. Today, people may choose to openly discuss their sexual interests and preferences instead. However, harnesses and other items carrying colours are still used to quickly communicate fantasies at Pride parades, gay events, and sex parties.
Please note that the codes may not be familiar to everyone within the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals may prefer open communication about their preferences.
The Hanky Codes – Basics
Hanky codes – Extensions
Hanky codes with materials
There are other hanky codes consisting of patterns and materials besides those mentioned above. However, for reasons of relevance and clarity, we have only listed the relevant ones above.
What are Hanky Codes and what do the colours, patterns or materials mean? Is left worn the active or the passive? Here you can find out everything about the colourful scarves.
Hanky Codes: Colorful handkerchiefs with meaning
Hanky codes are much more than just colorful handkerchiefs—they are a piece of queer history and an expression of self-determination, creativity, and belonging. At a time when open communication about sexuality was still dangerous or even impossible, they offered a subtle but effective language of freedom. The variety of colors—from classic black for S&M to red for fisting to yellow or navy blue for specific fetish preferences—made it possible to make one’s desires visible without saying a word. Hanky codes thus became a symbol of courage, solidarity, and mutual understanding within the community. Today, they are experiencing a kind of revival in certain subcultures, such as the leather, fetish, or BDSM scene. Modern variants take up the concept and expand on it, for example with accessories such as bracelets, harnesses, or colored belt loops that serve the same function. Hanky codes have also left their mark on fashion—as a sign of queer identity, an ironic stylistic device, or a conscious reference to history. In an increasingly open society where sexual preferences are discussed more openly, the codes are losing their original practical purpose but retain their cultural and historical value. They remind us of how queer people found ways to recognize and protect each other and to live their desires confidently in difficult times. Today, hanky codes are not only a means of communication, but also a symbol of visibility, solidarity, and the diversity of sexual expression within the LGBTQ+ community.