Editing Handkerchief code (section)

{{short description|Use of color-coded bandanas in gay and BDSM communities}}
[[File:Hankycode.jpg|thumb|An assortment of handkerchiefs displayed in the back pockets of a man's jeans]]
{{LGBT symbols}}

The '''handkerchief code''' (also known as the '''hanky'''/'''hankie code''', the '''bandana'''/'''bandanna code''', and '''flagging''')<ref name=Andrews2010 >{{cite book | last=Andrews | first=Vincent | year=2010 | title=The Leatherboy Handbook | publisher=The Nazca Plains Corp. | isbn=978-1-61098-046-3 }}</ref> is a system of [[Color coding|color-coded]] cloth [[handkerchief]] or [[Kerchief|bandanas]] for non-verbally communicating one's interests in sexual activities and [[Sexual fetishism|fetishes]]. The color of the handkerchief identifies a particular activity, and the pocket it is worn in (left or right) identifies the wearer's preferred role in that activity. Wearing a handkerchief on the left side of the body typically indicates one is a "top" (considered ''active'' in the act/fetish indicated by the color of the handkerchief) while wearing it on the right side of the body would indicate one is a "bottom" (considered ''passive'' in it). For example, a dark blue handkerchief indicates an interest in [[anal sex]], and wearing it in the left pocket indicates a preference for being the penetrating partner. The code was first used in the 1970s in the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Australia]], and [[Europe]], by gay and bisexual men seeking [[casual sex]] or [[BDSM]] practitioners. Over time the colors and types of apparel in use have greatly proliferated.