The Hanky Co was a tradnal form of signalg to others your sexual preferenc, fetish and terts were. Gay men ed this to munite wh each other the noisy and distractg environment of gay bars. Acrdg to J. Raúl Cornier for The History Project Boston, The hanky was a vert sartorial
Contents:
- A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY SIGNALG, OM HANKY S TO THAT 'WHAT GAY GUYS ARE ACTUALLY LIKE' VIO
- #GAYFLASHBACK: A HANDY HANKY CO PRIMER (COLORED BANDANAS YOUR BACK POCKET IS A SEXUAL SIGNAL –LEFT OR RIGHT?)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAY SIGNALG, OM HANKY S TO THAT 'WHAT GAY GUYS ARE ACTUALLY LIKE' VIO
Maybe you've seen the recent vio that purports to show "what actually happens when gay guys see other gay guys and straight people aren't around." While I n't nfirm or ny the accuracy of the clip's subject matter (still wag on clearance om the Gay Agenda), I n say that s edy is rooted a rich… * gay bandana signaling *
Eroti shops, bookstor, and talogs provid r lists wh the purchase of bandanas, while gay bars prted the lists wh lotn rmatn as a form of marketg. Practiced predomately by queer men the Bondage, Disciple, and Sado-Masochism (BDSM) or leather subculture, the hanky beme part of the gay mastream. It was a way for gay men, and members of the BDSM muny om the 60's to the 80's, to secretly signal their sexual terts at a time when homosexualy was very much owned upon.
II - History of the Hanky (srf / gay bandana ).
The Hanky Co was created at a time when open discsns about sexualy (pecially between two men) were illegal, as was beg gay. It was th created and ed by gay men muni, maly durg the 70s and 80s. It was very prent gay bars, and allowed a simple glance to let people know their sexual orientatn, as well as their preference for certa practic acrdg to the lor and posn of the bandana.
#GAYFLASHBACK: A HANDY HANKY CO PRIMER (COLORED BANDANAS YOUR BACK POCKET IS A SEXUAL SIGNAL –LEFT OR RIGHT?)
* gay bandana signaling *
In addn, the terms "hanky " and "srf " beme part of the gay lexin.
The velopments not only documented the once unrground phenomenon, but also created a cultural rerd of the emergence of a gay male inty. Nowadays, the morn era of legalized gay sex and social applitns, the Srf Co has bee more of a fashnable way to start a nversatn gay bars rather than an active way to solic sex. Stor, bookstor and erotic talogs then provid lists of rs to purchase bandanas, while gay bars prted the lists wh all the rmatn.
Some may thk that the gay muny’s obssn wh fdg out the sexual proclivi of a potential partner is a trend of today. Here, we take a look at the tools gay men have historilly ed to terme who is to what.