Light Blue Hanky

In the gay handkerchief code (also called the hanky code or flagging), a light blue handkerchief or bandana traditionally signals interest in oral sex. Placement communicates role: worn in the left back pocket it indicates a top or giving preference, and in the right it indicates a bottom or receiving preference. The hanky code grew out of gay male cruising and leather culture in 1970s San Francisco and New York, building on older bandana-signaling customs. It offered a discreet, non-verbal way to communicate desires and roles in an era before dating apps, and it remains part of queer cultural history and leather tradition today.