Meet Hank, the hanky-wearing Minky mink!

In drafting our new logo as part of our rebrand, we had a few goals:

• Something that fit with our “new”, non-hyphenate name
• An animal or icon of Minnesota providence
• A nod to our cultural history as descendants of queer/leather bar spaces

So who better to represent us than a multi-color, multihyphenate Minnesota native mink? You’ll see our new friend in many colors and orientations around the site (a vers icon!).

Hank’s (usually) black bandana harkens back to the queer tradition of gay men in underground spaces flagging using handkerchiefs. Hankies of specific colors were placed in specific pockets to signal specific interests, roles, and availabilities, called the “Hanky Code”. Traditionally, a black bandana has signaled an interest in BDSM, worn in the back left pocket to signal interest in topping or the back right to signal interest in bottoming. Hank’s neckerchief signals neither (a switch icon!).

Kinky and queer communities have grown and evolved tremendously in the years since their 80s heyday as we strive ever further towards inclusion and liberation. Today the visual language of the hanky has been adopted and adapted by folks of a myriad of queer identities and locales.

As a queer group, we pay tribute to the brave trailblazers who carved out spaces for all of us to more safely and completely express ourselves, sexually and otherwise.