Colour Codes

[Faggot2serve]

15 minutes ago, Leather69 said:

This all started out in the early 1990's with about 12 combinations..left top, right bottom.. then as usual it exploded in combinations over the next 15 years or so.. and with all the problems recognizing the obscure one it faded into oblivion... travelling about all U see is an odd red one, very occasionally yellow/blue.

It was way before the 1990s

[BttmCub88]

Theres a cruising place i like to go to where it seems like most of the guys wear blue shirts. Ive wondered if its code for something or just coincidence??

[ErosWired]

50 minutes ago, Leather69 said:

This all started out in the early 1990's

The founder of Mr S Leather claims to have invented the Hanky Code in 1972 in San Francisco. It certainly saw widespread use in the 1970s and 1980s, times when it was more necessary to keep a homosexual lifestyle concealed. Really, it could hardly be a modern invention - who carries a regular handkerchief in this day an age?

[hntnhole]

All of this dates back decades, as an innocuous method to cruise when the bars got raided regularly, and every guy had to carry bail money in his boot when he went out to the bars. Now, the prospect of being arrested merely by going to a gay bar has faded into history (but, in some states may again become the case - DeathSantisLand for instance), but for the most part, the color-codes are based in our past.  

Selby did the gay community an enormous favor in bringing the LeatherLife out into - well, maybe not the mainstream - but at least into the consciousness of the larger gay community.  He also saw to it that his company's products reflected high quality in their gear, which also elevated The Life.  

Above, there's a depiction of what appears to be 4/color card identifying a dizzying array of varying shades of colors.  Has anyone of us ever seen someone in a bar carrying a contrivance like that, looking around, comparing the colors of what other's are displaying to the identification card?  I can picture it now:  guy 1 whips out not his Cock, but a palm card, holds it up to the colored item guy 2 is wearing, comparing the varying shades .... and then walking away if the "color stars" don't align?  C'mon ... that's nuts.  

Since there are apparently a large number of us that enjoy using these color-codes, that's great.  Just know that some of us can't see the primary, let alone all the shades of different colors, and certainly not in the dark. 

Look at what a guy is doing, and then decide if you want a piece too.  

[LetsPOZBreed]

20 hours ago, ErosWired said:

This kind of annoys me actually, because claiming that simply wearing a color must mean something is not the same as wearing a specific accessory in a color. T

To be fair, since this incident years ago, I've become a bit more discerning about the environment.  If I get the sense that red=FF would be a reasonable expectation, I go without them...I've since worn my red trunks (my favourite pair) to underwear nights without issue.

[LetsPOZBreed]

10 hours ago, BttmCub88 said:

Theres a cruising place i like to go to where it seems like most of the guys wear blue shirts. Ive wondered if its code for something or just coincidence??

That's probably just co-incidence.  Again, the colour code only makes sense if you're attending a venue where it's meaning is almost universally understood.  Besides, a shirt wouldn't really signify top/bottom in the way a hanky or armband woutl (left = top, right = bottom).  

[Bibttmmiami]

So if you see a hanky sticking out of a guy’s back pocket, are you going to whip out your phone to see what he’s into?  Lol

Nah, you’re probably going to just walk up to him and ask. Could be a great way to break the ice ie. A conversation starter. 

[ErosWired]

On 7/5/2023 at 2:58 PM, LetsPOZBreed said:

or armband woutl (left = top, right = bottom).  

But again, who came up with this left/right business, and what makes everyone so sure it’s universal? I have a double piercing in my left earlobe. I didn’t give any thought at the time to a significance to one side or the other, and my earrings don’t have sexual meaning for me anyway. But now I suppose people look at my earrings and assume this total bottom is a Top? Does a double earring mean a Total Top? Do the earrings mean I’m a pirate? Do I need to get a parrot? If you’re a Top, does it have to be a cockatoo? Which shoulder does it need to perch on? Is there a Parrot Plumage Code to signal kinks? Which side do I wear the eye patch on? What does it mean if I wear a red eye patch? Which leg should have the pegleg?

There is, as you can see, no limit to how ridiculous this can get.

[tallslenderguy]

i wear this yellow  with red trim jock to the gym every other day, so far no one has pissed in or on me because of it. i have a FB Who saw it and called it a "Ronald McDonald" jock, guess it is the same color scheme as RM? Who knew Ronald was into piss? Kinky clown.  i have no idea what the red means, i bought it because of the yellow, but no one else has red (actionable) meaning into yet either. 

[hntnhole]

On 7/5/2023 at 3:58 PM, LetsPOZBreed said:

(left = top, right = bottom).

Interestingly, in many European locations, that is reversed.  Right = active, left = passive.  It can get a bit confusing, eh?  

[PissGuzzlerLA]

On 7/3/2023 at 3:26 PM, Bibttmmiami said:

Last I heard the hanky code was outdated and no one uses it anymore. Might be better to do something with those jelly bracelets or something of that nature. 
 

I remember there being a teen game where they were certain color bracelets to represent certain sex acts. And if you are able to rip the person’s bracelet (break it) off their wrist they have to preform that sex act on/with you. 
 

could be fun at a party. 

That may be the case for the twink gay bars where flashy club clothes are all the rage, but the hanky code is alive and well at leather/fetish bars and events. Check out any adult store that sells fetish gear and you'll see the gamut of colors in leather vests, pants, chaps, caps, harnesses, hoods, hankies, gauntlets, cock rings, etc etc. It's true that some of the younger crowds may not be aware that the colors mean something specific, but the fetish community is always willing to lovingly educate anyone wanting to learn. It's an important part of gay history, and now that the fetish community is much larger and includes bi, trans, and a pretty good percentage of straight folks, it's not just a gay thing anymore. So again, still very much used if you know where to look.

[PissGuzzlerLA]

On 7/6/2023 at 8:41 PM, ErosWired said:

But again, who came up with this left/right business, and what makes everyone so sure it’s universal? I have a double piercing in my left earlobe. I didn’t give any thought at the time to a significance to one side or the other, and my earrings don’t have sexual meaning for me anyway. But now I suppose people look at my earrings and assume this total bottom is a Top? Does a double earring mean a Total Top? Do the earrings mean I’m a pirate? Do I need to get a parrot? If you’re a Top, does it have to be a cockatoo? Which shoulder does it need to perch on? Is there a Parrot Plumage Code to signal kinks? Which side do I wear the eye patch on? What does it mean if I wear a red eye patch? Which leg should have the pegleg?

There is, as you can see, no limit to how ridiculous this can get.

Sort of like how not everyone in the world drives on the right side of the road?  LOL  Once upon a time there were unwritten rules that helped gay men communicate safely using these codes in a time when anyone could be an undercover cop. I'm sure there were other reasons it evolved, and like any murky undocumented practice, it got adopted and modified by a variety of communities in a variety of places. But at least here in the US, left has consistently been top/Dom and right consistently bottom/sub. I was never aware of a universally-recognized  code regarding which ear to wear earrings though (left/right/both).  I'd love to know if anyone else can shed light on that.

If you choose to rock the parrot and pegleg look though, I don't think anyone's going to fuck with you.  😉

[PissGuzzlerLA]

On 7/7/2023 at 8:51 AM, hntnhole said:

Interestingly, in many European locations, that is reversed.  Right = active, left = passive.  It can get a bit confusing, eh?  

Fascinating! I'd love to know if anyone has documented how that reversal came about, and also when and by whom.

[ErosWired]

2 hours ago, PissGuzzlerLA said:

If you choose to rock the parrot and pegleg look though, I don't think anyone's going to fuck with you. 

I suspect that’s precisely what they wouldn’t do…

[onlyraw]

On 7/5/2023 at 5:58 AM, ErosWired said:

The founder of Mr S Leather claims to have invented the Hanky Code in 1972 in San Francisco. It certainly saw widespread use in the 1970s and 1980s, times when it was more necessary to keep a homosexual lifestyle concealed. Really, it could hardly be a modern invention - who carries a regular handkerchief in this day an age?

There is a scene in the movie Cruising (that came out in 1980) where the cop is in a fetish shop and they explain the hanky code to him

so at least by 1980 is was well established 

(it is a horrible movie but I knew one of the actors so needed to go see it when it came out)

 

but I also know that it can be different in every town. Although red for fisting and yellow for WS do seem to be universal- but good to know that in some other countries the Left and Right signify different things - moral of story is - ask a local…. (Who knows maybe just asking the question could lead to something and you won’t need to wear them)