The handkerchief code (also known as the hanky code, the bandana code, and flagging) is a color-coded system, employed usually among the gay male casual-sex seekers or BDSM practitioners in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, to indicate preferred sexual fetishes, what kind of sex they are seeking, and whether they are a top/dominant or bottom/submissive. The hanky code was widely used in the 1970s by gay and bisexual men, and grew from there to include all genders and orientations.
Today, wearing color-coded handkerchiefs (bandanas) is the manner in which communication of desires and fetishes is achieved. Wearing a handkerchief on the left side of the body typically indicates one is a “top” (one considered active in the practice of the fetish indicated by the color of the handkerchief), while wearing it on the right side of the body would indicate one is a “bottom” (one considered passive in the practice of the fetish indicated by the color of the handkerchief). This left-right reality is taken from the earlier practice of tops wearing their keys on the left belt loop and bottoms on the right to indicate being a member of the leather subculture. Bandanas might be worn in the front or back pocket, tied around the neck (with the knot positioned on either the left or right side); around the ankle (when wearing boots or when undressed); or on other parts of the body.
| COLOR | WORN ON LEFT | WORN ON RIGHT |
|---|---|---|
| BLACK | heavy SM top | heavy SM bottom |
| GREY | bondage top | fit to be tied! |
| BLUE, Light | wants head | cocksucker |
| BLUE, Robin’s Egg | 69er | anything but 69ing |
| BLUE, Medium | cop | copsucker |
| BLUE, Navy | fucker (top) | fuckee (bottom) |
| BLUE, Airforce | pilot/flight attendant | likes flyboys |
| BLUE, Light w/WHITE Stripe | sailor | lookin’ for salty seamen |
| BLUE, Teal | cock & ball torturer | cock & ball torturee |
| RED | fist fucker | fist fuckee |
| MAROON | cuts | bleeds |
| RED, Dark | 2-handed fister | 2-handed fistee |
| PINK, Light | dildo fucker | dildo fuckee |
| PINK, Dark | tit torturer | tit torturee |
| MAUVE | into navel worshippers | has a navel fetish |
| MAGENTA | suck my pits | armpit freak |
| PURPLE | piercer | piercee |
| LAVENDER | likes drag queens | drag queen |
| YELLOW | pisser/WS | piss freak |
| YELLOW, Pale | spits | drool crazy |
| MUSTARD | hung 8″+ | wants 8″+ |
| GOLD | two looking for one | one looking for two |
| ORANGE | anything anytime | nothing now (just cruising) |
| APRICOT | two tons o’ fun | chubby chaser |
| CORAL | suck my toes | shrimper (sucks toes) |
| RUST | a cowboy | a cowboy’s horse |
| FUSCHIA | spanker | spankee |
| GREEN, Kelly | hustler (for rent) | john (looking to buy) |
| GREEN, Hunter | daddy | orphan boy looking for daddy |
| OLIVE DRAB | military top | military bottom |
| GREEN, Lime | dines off tricks (food) | dinner plate (will buy dinner) |
| BEIGE | rimmer | rimmee |
| BROWN | scat top | scat bottom |
| BROWN LACE | uncut | likes uncut |
| BROWN SATIN | cut | likes cut |
| CHARCOAL | latex fetish top | latex fetish bottom |
| GREY FLANNEL | owns a suit | likes men in suits |
| WHITE | beat my meat (J/O) | I’ll do us both (J/O) |
| HOLSTEIN | milker | milkee |
| CREAM | cums in condoms | sucks cum out of condoms |
| BLACK w/WHITE Check | safe sex top | safe sex bottom |
| RED w/WHITE Stripe | shaver | shavee |
| RED w/BLACK Stripe | furry bear | likes bears |
| WHITE LACE | likes white bottoms | likes white tops |
| BLACK w/WHITE Stripe | likes black bottoms | likes black tops |
| BROWN w/WHITE Stripe | likes latino bottoms | likes latino tops |
| YELLOW w/WHITE Stripe | likes asian bottoms | likes asian tops |
| BLUE, Light w/WHITE Dots | likes white suckers | likes to suck whites |
| BLUE, Light w/BLACK Dots | likes black suckers | likes to suck blacks |
| BLUE, Light w/BROWN Dots | likes latino suckers | likes to suck latinos |
| BLUE, Light w/YELLOW Dots | likes asian suckers | likes to suck asians |
| RED/WHITE GINGHAM | park sex top | park sex bottom |
| BROWN CORDUROY | headmaster | student |
| PAISLEY | wears boxer shorts | likes boxer shorts |
| FUR | bestialist top | bestialist bottom |
| GOLD LAME | likes muscleboy bottoms | likes muscleboy tops |
| SILVER LAME | starfucker | celebrity |
| BLACK VELVET | has/takes videos | will perform for the camera |
| WHITE VELVET | voyeur (likes to watch) | will put on a show |
| LEOPARD | has tattoos | likes tattoos |
| TAN | smokes cigars | likes cigars |
| TEDDY BEAR | cuddler | cuddlee |
| KEWPIE DOLL | chicken (under-aged) | chicken hawk (likes young adolescents) |
| DIRTY JOCKSTRAP | wears a dirty jock | sucks dirty jocks clean |
| DOILY | tearoom top (pours) | tearoom bottom (drinks) |
| MOSQUITO NETTING | outdoor sex top | outdoor sex bottom |
| ZIPLOC BAG | has drugs | looking for drugs |
| COCKTAIL NAPKIN | bartender | bar groupie |
| KLEENEX | stinks | sniffs |
| KEYS IN FRONT | has a car | looking for a ride |
| KEYS IN BACK | has a home | needs a place to stay |
| HOUNDSTOOTH | likes to nibble | willing to be bitten |
| UNION JACK | skinhead top | skinhead bottom |
| CALICO | new in town | tourists welcome |
| TERRYCLOTH | bathhouse top | bathhouse bottom |
| WHITE w/MULTICOLOR Dots | hosting an orgy | looking for an orgy |