Carabiner Code, Girl in Red, and the World of Queer Signaling.

Graphics by Kylie Adedeji and Kate Batista

This summer, my roommate bought a carabiner.

I admittedly had no idea what a carabiner even was until she texted me a photo of her and some friends all wearing them on a trip to the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. I would later learn they were in fact a form of queer signaling: when a person intentionally hints at their own sexual or romantic preference through indirect cues. 

My own introduction to queer signaling was at age fifteen with Girl in Red; specifically asking if others listened to Girl in Red. The idea is simple. By asking another woman if she listens to the Norwegian singer-songwriter, you are asking if she is a lesbian. Similarly, if someone were to say they listen to ‘Sweater Weather’ by The Neighbourhood, they are indicating they are bisexual.

While I personally became acquainted with the idea by occupying online queer spaces in the late 2010s, queer signaling has been around for ages and plays a major role in creating safe, visible spaces for members of the community.

Carabiner Code, as used by my aforementioned roommate, is perhaps one of the most notable examples. Dating back to the 70’s, some butch women would wear carabiners on their belt loops to indicate that they were lesbians. At the time there was widespread agreement that wearing it on the left side of the body indicated one was a top, while wearing it on the right indicated they were a bottom. 

This code is still alive and well, with many modern queer women partaking in wearing the fashion accessory to subtly indicate their identity. However, it’s more lax nowadays – people aren’t necessarily concerned about wearing it on a specific side and the trend appears to have gone a bit more mainstream.

Similarly, gay men used to use what is known as The Handkerchief Code, or the Hanky Code. They would wear handkerchiefs in their back pockets for similar purposes as the carabiner. The left pocket meant the man was a top, the right meant he was a bottom. The code also incorporated different colors in order to convey specific sexual interests.

While The Hanky Code is not currently as relevant as one would argue Carabiner Code is, it is still one of the most well known examples of queer signaling. It also inspired other ways of indicating one’s queerness. For example, some feminine presenting queer women use the color meanings from the original handkerchief code when they paint their nails.

The codebook goes on. Some people will wear telling jewelry, others will put hinting stickers on their laptops, cars, and water bottles. Individuals on the ace spectrum will sometimes wear a black ring on their middle finger. 

Sometimes, people don’t use signals at all. The use of queer signaling is a great way to not only build community, but also provide subtle hints toward what someone is working for. Partaking in the practice is not mandatory- It’s a personal decision every queer person can make for themselves.

In a similar vein, someone’s decision to participate in a form of queer signaling is not a substitution for consent. Never take these cues as explicit permission to make a move. Not only would doing so be incredibly disrespectful, but some people displaying the signal may not even be aware it was part of an inner code in the first place – some people wear carabiners just to wear carabiners! Instead, use them as a conversation starter and a chance to get to know another person.

Most importantly, if you do decide to indirectly display your queerness, feel free to experiment and explore. One of the great parts of sharing your identity with others is getting to learn what it means in a greater context. Don’t be afraid to try something new with how you choose to display it!