Perth Voice Interactive

THE Hanky Code – a 1970’s fad where gay men would use different coloured hankies to indicate what they were into sexually – is the basis for a thought-provoking and funny stand-up show at Fringe World.

In the show, Sydney comic Jarryd Prain explores what the different colours mean and how they relate to his life and his coming out. Originally there was about 10 colours with a hankie in the left pocket indicating the wearer was top/dominant and a hankie in the right indicating a bottom/submissive role.

But the range quickly expanded to cover a mind-boggling array of sexual preferences and fetishes including grey (bondage), black (s&m), brown (scat), green (hustler/prostitution) and red (fisting).

“It was something I was always aware of but I didn’t realise how extensive the list was, over 80 options scanning over different colours, hankies, materials, and sometimes objects (depending on what list you consult),” Prain says.

“There’s a lot of great resources online that delve into The Hanky Code and it’s history, spanning back to the 1970’s with some queer historians dating it back to the 19th century gold rush era in San Francisco.

“Luckily, I would say that there’s a lot of the colours that I put some very ‘personal’ research into as well, but we can get into the details later.” 

In an age where there is an endless range of weird and wacky porn online, Prain was drawn to the more gentile hankies.

“The most interesting ones for me are the ones that get really specific and actually seem more tame than anything else,” he says.

“Sure you’ve got your big, hefty kinks that can definitely be a lot to handle, but the mauve hanky is all about belly button sex.

“Wearing the orange hanky on the right essentially just means ‘no sex right now, thanks’ which does feel almost unnecessary.”

So has the hanky code been replaced by an online dating profile in 2025 or is sexuality more fluid these days?

“Yes and no. There is still a lot of shame around the particularities of sex and what I love about the code is that it breaks open the idea of what sex is and what sex can be,” Prain says.

“Online, generally speaking at least, if you’re happy sharing your face and name upfront, there’s always going to be a drip feed of the more unconventional kinks as the conversation grows if it gets there at all.

“Traditional gay roles of top/bottom/vers are very public, almost built into character at times, but many of the kinks encapsulated by the hanky code are filled with some level of hesitation to announce.”

With the rise of camera phones and social media, Prain says it’s harder for someone to lead a double life – indulging a secret fetish on the weekend before returning to their mundane office job on Monday morning.

“I think due to so much of the world being online now, it’s harder to lean into a sexual community without it being something that is linked to your character,” he says.

“Back in the 70’s you could go to a filthy little dungeon covered in latex and leather and go to work a few hours later and those two worlds could be kept separate.

“It’s harder to do that now, which I do believe turns people away from really leaning into the hot sexy world they want to live in, periodically.”

While Prain finds some of the hankies “reprehensible” (the ones that indicate a borderline illegal activity) he says the code was literally about wearing your heart on your jeans and being upfront about your sexuality.

“Generally I think that we should have so much less shame in what our sex looks like,” he says.

“I’m not saying that you should jump up on stage and tell everyone you’re into piss (unless you want to), but sex can exist outside of the confines of just penetration, and it can truly be fun.

“Wearing your passions on your body like they did back in the 1970’s really did seem like the most honest we have been as a society. No shame, just a sexy little fashion statement.” 

Nominated for Best Comedy Show at Sydney Fringe, The Hanky Code is at Ground Floor Comedy, The Terrarium (entrance via Howard Street) in Perth from Jan 28 – Feb 1. Tix at fringeworld.com.au.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK