Originally posted by Curtis
You'll probably want to hear from Kallie on this, but my understanding at the time (twenty years ago) was that it was largely confined to New York City and San Fransisco. There may have been small numbers of people 'in the know' in most large cities, but I don't believe this was ever a widespread practice.

Kallie?
Can only speak for LA, Utah, and Colorado--was very widespread in the gay community. As a straight "fag hag" (hate that term) who hung in gay bars mostly frequented by men, I usually wore light blue, letting the boys know that I enjoyed giving head, and occasionally black, when the mood hit me. You'd be surprised how many gay men will swing a girl's way, given the right set of circumstances (and mood altering drugs).

I don't know how common it is now, but 20 years ago, it was a common practice in the clubs I frequented. In Utah, finding a wide array of kerchiefs was a breeze--it's cowboy country. I still have a huge collection, though I actually use them to tie my hair back or as sweat soppers when working in the garden.

During the early 80's, when Billy Idol and others made it okay to wear bandanas and chains, a lot of younger gays did wear the kerchiefs in public, but them aside, I think the practice was pretty well limited to bars, parties, and baths.

Kallie