Left Orange ZineJack Laddish & Natalie Hung
Orange Paisley, Left Pocket
Nemo Fama
Much has been said on the nature of titles, names, and first impressions. Perhaps too much, so I won’t be talking about that. The “hanky code” is a sartorial code which entered common use in queer cruising communities in the early 70s. It was used to covertly advertise sexual interests. At first, this was simply “top” and “bottom” binary indications but it rapidly became more complex as the queer and fetish worlds intersected often. There were official annual color guides published in San Francisco in the 80s, standardizing the system. Increasingly specific interests entered the code and the bandanas used to indicate became increasingly specific. Now, how did this play out?
I don’t know: I wasn’t around for the golden age of cruising. But general protocol according to hearsay went as follows: If you pass someone on the street that you’re interested in, you’d look back after you passed them. This communicates interest only if the other person is also interested: they don’t know you’re looking back unless they, too, turned. It also lets you get a look at their back pockets where the bandana (or hanky) is displayed. If they’re out that day looking for someone to tie up, you might see gray in their back left pocket. It might be their lucky day if they see an orange bandana in your back left pocket, because for left orange? Anything goes.
As with these intersecting lovers, we’re waiving that bright banner with our southpaw. Artistic communities are far broader than the borders they’ve drawn. Left Orange is a curation of every creative expression we can pocket, and aims to connect creators and their diverse media that rarely intersect on the magazine page. Take a turn about—do you like what you see?
Issue Zero: Anything Goes Available Now!
I don’t know: I wasn’t around for the golden age of cruising. But general protocol according to hearsay went as follows: If you pass someone on the street that you’re interested in, you’d look back after you passed them. This communicates interest only if the other person is also interested: they don’t know you’re looking back unless they, too, turned. It also lets you get a look at their back pockets where the bandana (or hanky) is displayed. If they’re out that day looking for someone to tie up, you might see gray in their back left pocket. It might be their lucky day if they see an orange bandana in your back left pocket, because for left orange? Anything goes.
As with these intersecting lovers, we’re waiving that bright banner with our southpaw. Artistic communities are far broader than the borders they’ve drawn. Left Orange is a curation of every creative expression we can pocket, and aims to connect creators and their diverse media that rarely intersect on the magazine page. Take a turn about—do you like what you see?
Issue Zero: Anything Goes Available Now!