San Francisco, 1977. No apps, no profiles, no photos. If you wanted to know what a guy was into, you looked at his back pocket: the color of his handkerchief told you what he liked, and the side told you how he liked it. Can you read the hanky code before he walks away?
Hanky Code
A game for men who can read pockets.
Ten guys, nine colors, two pockets. Three mistakes and you go home alone.
What is he looking for?
How to play Hanky Code
- Look at his pocket. Every round a guy stands at the bar with a handkerchief in his back pocket.
- Read the color. Each color stands for something he’s into.
- Read the side. Left pocket: he likes to give. Right pocket: he likes to receive.
- Answer fast. Get it right and he’s yours. Get it wrong three times and you go home alone.
The chart
| Color | Left pocket | Right pocket |
|---|---|---|
| Dark blue | He’s a top | He’s a bottom |
| Light blue | He wants a blowjob | He wants to give one |
| Red | He’s the fister | He’s the fistee |
| Yellow | Golden showers, giving | Golden showers, receiving |
| Black | Heavy S&M, he’s in charge | Heavy S&M, he takes it |
| Grey | Bondage, he ties | Bondage, he gets tied |
| Green | He’s a hustler | He’s a sugar daddy |
| Orange | Anything goes | Just looking |
| Purple | Piercing, he does it | Piercing, he gets it |
The hanky code appeared in the gay leather scene of the early 1970s, between New York and San Francisco. Nobody really knows who invented it: some credit a joke in the Village Voice, others a San Francisco leather shop with too many bandanas to sell. It was never written in stone, either: every shop printed its own list, and the long versions ran to dozens of colors. These are the classics.
