Alan Selby

Alan Selby (1929–2004), born Alan Henry Sniders, He was known by many as "the Mayor of Folsom Street". 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. However, other sources dispute this being the origin of the hanky code.

Biography Alan Selby was born as Alan Henry Sniders in Yorkshire, England.

Selby co-founded and fundraised for the San Francisco AIDS Emergency Fund, which was founded in 1982. Following the death of his partner, Peter Jacklin, from AIDS in 1987, Selby became a prominent figure in the community response against the AIDS epidemic.

Awards and legacy In 1988, Selby was awarded the Steve Maidhof Award for National or International Work by the National Leather Association International. In 1999, he and Leonard Dworkin received the Forebear Award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards. In 2017, Selby was honored along with other notables, named on bronze bootprints, as part of San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley.