No Drinking, No Drugs, No Sex. Meet Today's Teenage Rebellion - Teens Take Personal Choice Seriously In The Straight Edge Movement

The X by itself, often tattooed on the arm, hand or wrist of straight edge kids, hearkens back to the 1980s, when Washington, D.C. punk bands played in bars to largely underage audiences. The kids received an X on their hands at the door, and were allowed into the bar. Servers knew not to serve them alcohol. Punk fans who were of age but chose not to drink started to ask for Xs as well, and a movement's symbol was born. XXX, a common extension of the symbol, typically marks poison or pornography, both things that straight edgers avoid.

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