The modern hanky code is thought to have gained traction in the 60s and 70s, with numerous sources claiming they were the reason it became popular. Typically a man who took on the male role in the dance wore a blue bandana in his back pocket, while a man who took on the female role would wear a red bandana. Due to a shortage of women, men would often have to dance with other men during square dances. It is thought that the code first appeared in the late 1800s following the California gold rush. Commonly referred to as the handkerchief or hanky code, this is the practise of signalling sexual preferences and availability of gay men. We can look back even further in history to see the importance of colors to the gay community with flagging. Flagging: Color Codes in the Gay Community Other variants often incorporate the pink triangle once more, usually displayed in the corner of the flag. These sometimes take the form of extra stripes, or chevrons along the side of the flag and often represent a merging of the LGBT cause into another such as social justice. Several variants include extra colors, such as black (commonly representing members of the community which have been lost to AIDS), brown (often representing people of color) or white (representing humanity, togetherness, peace). There have been numerous adaptations of the rainbows into local and state flags, such as versions including the stars found on the US flag, or the South African version featuring the usual pattern on a rainbow background. This version of the flag returns to the original design, but also adds a lavender stripe above hot pink, which symbolises diversity. Of note is the nine-striped version, submitted by Baker himself. While the six stripe version became the defacto LGBT flag, there have been many different variations throughout modern history to reflect different groups. This six striped version would be the one adopted by the wider gay community and still commonly used today. This meant the flag could be split into two halves to line the streets for the San Francisco parade that year. The next year the flag was altered again, merging the turquoise and indigo stripes into a single blue stripe. To meet demand, the hot pink color was dropped as it was difficult to source this color fabric. Later in the year, the flag became much more popular. He attributed a specific meaning to each color. Wherever this inspiration came from, Baker’s flag featured eight colored stripes.
This was a flag commonly used during the sixties with five horizontal stripes (red, white, brown, yellow and black). Some think he may have been inspired by Judy Garland and the song “Over the Rainbow”, while others think he drew inspiration from the Flag of the Races. Gilbert Baker was challenged to come up with a new gay symbol, and the rainbow is what resulted. The very first instance of a rainbow flag being used to represent gay pride dates back to the Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco in 1978.
Today the triangle sees less use, as people identify much more commonly with the rainbow icon we all know and love.
Initially activists used the pink triangle to help raise awareness of the treatment homosexuals had received in concentration camps, but over time the symbol started to see further use as a positive one. While this was a much darker time in the history of gay rights, the symbol continued to see use even after the fall of Nazi Germany. This symbol originated in Nazi Germany, and was used to mark gay prisoners at concentration camps. The most prolific being the pink triangle. Beyond that, the use of flagging (sometimes called the hanky code) has been a part of the gay community for over a century!Īs it’s Pride Month, let’s explore the history of these fascinating flags and their importance throughout the LGBQT community… The Original Gay IconĮven before the modern rainbow flags, there was already symbols used to identify the gay community. There’s a fascinating history behind the rainbow flag we all know and love. It’s become a symbol of hope for a community often the victim of discrimination and misunderstanding. Most people by now are familiar with the rainbow flag commonly flown during many pride events and parades.