Alan Selby

Alan Selby (1929–2004), born Alan Henry Sniders,[1] was an English-born American gay businessman and leader in the San Francisco leather community.[2] He was known by many as "the Mayor of Folsom Street".[1] He claimed to have created the first hanky code with his business partners at Leather 'n' Things in 1972, when their bandana supplier inadvertently doubled their order and the expanded code would help them sell the extra colors they had received.[3] However, other sources dispute this being the origin of the hanky code.[4]

  1. ^ a b "The Mayor of Folsom Street: The Life and Legacy of Alan Selby". GLBT Historical Society. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  2. ^ Guthrie, Julian (2004-05-11). "Alan Selby -- beloved leader in leather community / 'Daddy Alan' is remembered for gregarious, generous spirit". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  3. ^ Jones, Jordy (2017). The Mayor of Folsom Street, The Auto/Biography of "Daddy Alan" Selby aka Mr. S. Fair Page Media LLC. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0-9989098-0-6.
  4. ^ Fischer, Hal (1977). Gay Semiotics ♂. San Francisco: NFS Press. ISBN 0-917986-03-2. Archived from the original on 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2020-04-13. In San Francisco, the signs began appearing around 1971. The Trading Post, a department store specializing in erotic merchandise, began promoting handkerchiefs in the store and printing cards with their meanings. The red and blue handkerchiefs and their significance were already in existence, and meanings were assigned to other colors as well.