The gay subtext in Dwayne Johnson’s latest photoshoot will have you hankering for more
Hmmm, that can’t be right, can it?Anyway! The wrestler-turned-blockbuster superstar formerly known as The Rock has been named GQ‘s “entertainer of the year,” gracing the cover of this month’s magazine in a classic white tee and blue jeans look.And while the vibe is certainly giving “All-American beefcake,” the gays have noticed something a little… queer about the photoshoot: Say, is that a beige handkerchief hanging out of your back pocket, Mr.
The Rock?Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.The rock flagging beige right pocket….I know what you are and the answer is yes!
pic.twitter.com/sls5Jum07M“The Rock flagging beige right pocket,” notes journalist Myles Tanzer on X. “I know what you are and the answer is yes!”He’s referring, of course, to The Hanky Code—or “flagging”—the sexual preference identification system embraced by the gay community wherein folks will sport a certain color handkerchief in a certain way, meant to signal what they’re “into,” from topping and bottoming, to kinks and turn-ons, to everything in between.The code is said to have been born out of the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century, specifically (and fittingly) in San Francisco where men far outnumbered women in mining communities, so when it came time to drink and dance to blow off some steam, the guys would don a colored hanky to let others know if they were more of a lead dancer or a follower.
If you catch our drift.Let the bandana do the talking …Over a century later, it took on a new life at a time when gay clubs and queer spaces proliferated but sodomy laws made it technically illegal for men to have sex, so they used handkerchiefs to safely and subtly let others know about their preferences.Since then, the Hanky Code has evolved to incorporate all kinds of fetishes and interests.
