Gay hand signs

Each finger looks like the stripes on the original LGBTQ flag symbolizing sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic/art, serenity, and spirit.

The code also served as a form of in-group signalling, helping members of the LGBTQ+ community recognize each other in public spaces. While my professors may believe that it is crucial to teach the sign for “onion” so I can feed myself, I find it more important learn the sign for “gay” so that I can ask a random Deaf stranger wandering the streets “hey, I’m lost, where’s the gay parade?” I would choose a parade over onion rings any day.

Born out of necessity in a less accepting time, it provided a means for connection and self-expression when few other options were available. Some modern interpretations include colors for sexual health statuses, polyamory, and even tech-related fetishes.

The rise of the internet and dating apps has reduced the need for such coded communications in many LGBTQ+ communities.

To me, this sign reflects our history as a resilient community —we were derogatorily described using words for the way that we were killed (i.e. The hanky code expanded on this idea, introducing a rainbow of colors to represent various preferences and practices.

Purpose & Use in LGBTQ+ Communities:

The primary purpose of the hanky code was to facilitate connections between individuals with compatible sexual interests.

Today, we're diving into the world of the hanky code, exploring its origins, meanings and enduring legacy in a way that's informative, fun & accessible to all.

Introduction

What is the Hanky Code?

The hanky code, also known as the handkerchief code or flagging, is a system of communication that uses coloured handkerchiefs to signal sexual interests and preferences discreetly.

Simply put, all identities encapsulated by “queer” are valid and nothing to be ashamed of.

Throughout my immersion in the Deaf community, I feel like I have been collecting these signs and developing my own personal understanding of what they represent.

This sign tells us that to be queer is to be radical.

This sign references the rainbow flag popularized by Gilbert Baker.

This sign utilizes fingerspelling to represent the concept. As our words and signs change, they embody shifting individual and social representations of LGBTQ identities.

While its original use may have diminished in the age of dating apps and greater societal acceptance, the code's impact on LGBTQ+ culture cannot be overstated.

Today, the hanky code serves as both a historical touchstone and a playful element of queer culture. Photographers like Hal Fischer have documented the use of the code in gay communities, while others have created visual art that plays with the colors and symbolism of the handkerchiefs.

• Impact on fashion and accessories:

The aesthetic of the hanky code has influenced fashion both within and outside LGBTQ+ communities.

We are resilient, radical, colorful, everyday people. What began as a relatively simple system has become an extensive spectrum of colors and meanings. Specifically, a black handkerchief indicates an interest in heavy S.M. or leather play.

• Left pocket: The wearer is dominant in BDSM scenarios
• Right pocket: The wearer is submissive in BDSM scenarios

Black's association with leather culture makes it a staple in many LGBTQ+ spaces, even for those not actively participating in the hanky code.

White handkerchiefs represent some of the more vanilla or traditional sexual practices.

It has its own grammar, syntax, vocabulary, etc.

This is one of my favorite signs for queer because of the audacity of the sign.

It is about non-conformity to a cisgender and heterosexual society. These had to be subtle enough to fly under the radar of cisgender heterosexuals, so they were often items of clothing, accessories, slang, styles, or small tattoos that could easily be covered up.

The necessity for secret signals is somewhat diminished these days; the internet, social media, and dating apps have allowed LGBT+ people to connect with relative safety, while tolerance and acceptance grow in societies across the globe. Of course, this is not true of all societies, and in such places even the internet and dating apps may not be safe to use. For this reason, we are choosing to only focus on examples from the past and from countries already on the path to LGBT+ liberation.

By and large, this is considered to be the most neutral way to refer to a person who identifies as queer. An example of an English minimal pair is “cat” and “hat.”

Advertisement