How Bandangles evolved.
We here at INYA were talking one day about how easy it is to hook up on the net. Where your interests and attributes are clearly stated in your profile and how the old Hanky Code should be updated and resurrected in the 21st Century.
The light bulb went off over our heads and we thought silicone bracelets!
They are everywhere. They are almost anonymous because of their quantity. What could be more subversive than wearing your profile proudly down the street! Like they say “It pays to advertise!” Silicone bracelets are non-allergenic, easy to wear in the sauna, can be worn as a cock ring, worn at the club or just as a queer fashion accessory.
We had the all the concepts then what we really needed was a name!
The combination of the words Bandanna and Bangles was all we needed to realize our dream!
The bandangle was born!
We hope you'll be as excited as we are in welcoming the latest technology to the queer scene.
Wear your bandangle out with pride!
History of the Hanky/Bandanna Code.
Back in the good old days, not when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth but way back before the internet revolutionized gay dating. There was a thing known as the Hanky Code. It was an underground code that people in the know could use whilst out for the night cruising for some action.
The Hanky Code made it easy for you to hook up with someone who was interested in the same things that you were. It also saved you wasting time cruising someone who was cute but a definite top, the same as you! The Hanky Code was not a huge secret but it was mainly used on the gay scene and some times elsewhere. Grandpa certainly had some stories to tell…
The following is a quote from Gay Sex A Manual For Men Who Love Men.
(Please bear in mind the that this was published in 1991 at the tail end of "the grim reaper" period of the AIDS epidemic and as such reflects those times. It is also interesting to note the reference to hankies being more popular in an earlier era when it was "riskier" to even discuss it. In this age of internet profiles and letting it all hang out online this seems almost medieval.)
"HANDKERCHIEF CODE. (A way of defining one’s sexual interests by means of a colored handkerchief.)
The use of colored bandannas or handkerchiefs as a asexual code originated many years ago. They were more useful, and more popular, at a time when it was riskier to start a conversation about such things. However, the code still has its advocates. Generally, wearing the handkerchief in the left rear pocket means the wearer wants the role usually considered “dominant” or “active”; in the right rear pocket, it means he wants that done to him. In the listing below, the first five are the most common.
Navy Blue. Wants to fuck (have anal intercourse); wants to be fucked.
Red. Wants to fist-fuck; wants to be fist-fucked.
Grey. Top, heavy S/M; bottom, heavy S/M.
Yellow. Watersports active – wants to piss on someone; wants to take someone’s piss.
Light blue. Wants to be sucked; wants to suck cock.
Orange. Top, will do anything; bottom, will accommodate anything. (These days, anybody who flies an orange flag is likely to be thought crazy or stupid.)
Green. Left: wants hustler. looking to huslte.
Many more codes have evolved; some reference lists define dozens. Only those above are widely used.
Do not assume that you’re always interpreting a colored handkerchief as the wearer intends. Some men simply like the look or have a runny nose. Teenage boys in some cities have taken to sticking a red handkerchief in their pocket because they’ve seen it done and think it looks cool – they’d be horrified if they knew how it was being interpreted. For better or for worse, a piece of cloth does not eliminate the need for one-to-one communication."
Quoted from “Gay Sex A Manual for Men Who Love Men” by Jack Hart 1991.