Gay hand sign

Its meaning can vary slightly depending on the shade, but light blue is generally associated with oral sex.

• Left pocket: The wearer is interested in receiving oral sex
• Right pocket: The wearer is interested in performing oral sex

The prevalence of blue jeans in everyday wear means that not every blue handkerchief is necessarily a part of the code; context is critical.

Army green, also known as olive drab, typically represents an interest in military roleplay or uniforms.

• Left pocket: The wearer is interested in being the "sergeant" or dominant role
• Right pocket: The wearer is interested in being the "private" or submissive role

This color taps into the long-standing cultural association between military imagery and masculine eroticism.

• How the code has changed over time:

As with any cultural phenomenon, the hanky code has evolved over the decades.

To me, this sign is the least controversial sign to engage in identity discourse as it succinctly references a number of positive attributes of our community. In the modern context, the color system has extended beyond handkerchiefs to various accessories.

It's not uncommon to see harnesses, singlets, or leather items in a color derived from the hanky code to indicate a desired fetish or sexual interest.

The Digital Dating Scene: Grindr and Beyond

If you've ventured into the digital dating scene with apps like Grindr, Tinder, or Scruff, you'll notice that people are keen to ascertain your position, preferences, and interests.

Questions about whether you're a "top" or a "bottom" or if you're looking for "right now" are commonplace.

We are resilient, radical, colorful, everyday people. The diversity of our language parallels our endless interpretations of our community. Each color represents a specific sexual interest or practice. Its evolution mirrors the journey of the community itself, adapting and transforming through the ages while holding on to its unique identity and heritage.

It's been referenced in films like "Cruising" (1980) and "Shortbus" (2006), as well as T.V. shows like "Queer as Folk" and "Transparent." These depictions have helped bring awareness of the code to wider audiences.

In the art world, the hanky code has inspired works by numerous LGBTQ+ artists. This silent language of desire and identity, expressed through simple handkerchiefs, has been a fascinating aspect of queer history for decades.

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. 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.

The code also served as a form of in-group signalling, helping members of the LGBTQ+ community recognize each other in public spaces. Sign up for HuffPost's Morning Email.

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Just like spoken language, there are sign languages unique to individual countries and within those languages there are regional accents just as spoken language would use “soda” or “pop” to describe the same concept.

**Minimal pair: Minimal pairs are two words or signs in a particular language that differ in only one element such as location, handshape, or movement.

An example of an English minimal pair is “cat” and “hat.”

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