Well, while we too don't know the exact timing, we do know that Japanese hand fans first became integrated into our culture sometime between the 1970s and 1980s as drag houses took off and the disco scene was alive and well. As discos, night clubs, and drag houses often lacked air conditioning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, these ancient Japanese fans were introduced as a way to keep the drag queen contestants and spectators cool.  So drag queens made gay fans, such as those found on www.thegayfanclub.com, vogue so to speak. 

The Gay Fan Club has one simple mission: to help you "Look Hot and Stay Cool" and the idea of staying cool was in essence, how hand fans, or clack fans, came into gay culture.  Gay boys and girls like to party and on the dance floor, it gets pretty hot.  Gay fans, such as those found on www.thegayfanclub.com  open to an impressive 12" x 26" diameter, and when moved, allow the end user, to instantly feel the cooling effects.  

Are you looking for a hot fan to stay cool? Check out our best selling circuit party fans, pride fans, music festival fans, and fetch fans for women by visiting  www.thegayfanclub.com. 

Here is a great example of a hand fan that would have been used in a drag house or at a disco in the 1980s.