Tiffany's Pride Bracelets
I originally met Tiffany, the owner of Tiffany’s Pride Bracelets last year, when I ran across her myspace page, and ordered some of her bi pride bracelets. I liked them so much and we started talking. I also recommended them to my friends and gave them as gifts, and everyone was very impressed with them. We all wore them to pride this past summer. I wear one of Tiff’s bi pride bracelets 24/7, and I love it. It’s very well made, durable, and it looks great. It’s a subtle yet clear way of showing my pride. She is always willing to make more bracelets and takes suggestions and incorporates them into her business very well. Tiffany lives in California, where she is very active in the BTLG and black lesbian communities, and the “No on 8” movement, as well as busy making her bracelets.
Q&A questions are excerpts from an online interview.
Bi Social Network: Maria: How long have you been making pride bracelets, and how did you get into selling?
Tiffany: Well Mizz M., I’ve been making and selling pride bracelets for about five years; I’ve always loved arts and crafts since I was a kid, my whole family, including my mother, (who draws abstract art onto wood by just using regular/gel pens) are a huge influence when it comes to arts of all kind. So about a year after my grandmother passed away (God Rest Her Soul), I wanted to make something that represents gay pride, something crafty, colorful, something that looks like the gay pride flag—and then it hit me, I said to myself, “I haven’t made a friendship bracelet in fifteen years, why don’t I make one that looks like the gay pride flag?” So I did, [and it] took a few trial and errors to get it right, and once I did, I started making plenty.
As far as how I started selling them, I had my own tiny website thru AOL (before MySpace came to life), and I started promoting my bracelets thru Live Journal.com’s gay and lesbian communities for a few years. I went to some lesbian retreats and now I have my own website (thank you Vistaprint), as well as MySpace and Twitter. I’m even a sponsor for a BlogTalkRadio show called “HomoBiExchange“, hosted by my homegurl Decoi Jones .
Bi Social Network – Maria: You are a lesbian who has been very supportive of the bi community, and you’ve said that the bi community has been your best customers. I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about your relationship with both the bisexual and the lesbian communities—how you feel about both, and what have been your experiences—positive, negative?
Tiffany: I’m just a very open-minded black lesbian sistah, who gets along with everyone and doesn’t judge anyone, and who am I to judge? I sure as bloody hell ain’t God, (Laughs). Also, as far as making bracelets for the LGBT community, I wanted to make one for the bisexual community as well. [I] didn’t want [to] leave anyone out. Plus, I love the color of the bisexual flag and what each color represents (yes, I’ve done my research), and since I’m a perfectionist, I made a bracelet that looks exactly like the flag…and I must say…selling that bracelet has been a success. I just wanted to reach out to the bisexual community and learn about their history. I refused to be some ignorant lesbian who only knows about my own lesbian community, I mean c’mon, if you’re going to be a homosexual, then be a homosexual and learn about your history, even if it has nothing to do with your orientation—but that’s just me.
As far as how I feel about both bi’s and lesbians and my experiences with both…well let’s keep it real. I was once [identifying as] bisexual, about 10-years ago or so, so yes, I’ve had experiences with both men and women in the past, and I’m not ashamed to talk about it either. I was bi-curious back in 1999, then I came out as bisexual in late 2000, [and] came out as lesbian in 2001. Around May through July of 2003, I was pansexual, and afterwards, I came back out as a lesbian!
What surprises me about me coming out as bisexual back in 2000 is that I don’t recall facing any biphobia whatsoever. I was accepted and I wasn’t judged—not even by the lesbian community. They saw Tiff first before the orientation, and now as a lesbian, people still see me for who I am and not who I prefer. I’m just happy and blessed that I’m accepted as a person—as Tiff, in the lesbian community, as well as the bisexual community, and that I get along with all communities—just wish more lesbian were more accepting towards bisexuals like I am.
Bi Social Network – Maria: Would you say there is still a lot of biphobia and misconception about bisexuals in the lesbian and gay communities? Have you noticed biphobia increasing or decreasing in the recent years? Does it seem like relations between the bi and gay communities are getting better?
Tiffany: I honestly feel that there still a lot of biphobia in the lesbian and gay community, and I personally feel that our own people (the lesbian and gays) are a bit hypocritical because it’s bad enough that we suffer the same kind of prejudice with the straight community—so who are we to show that same kind of ignorance within our own community? Granted, we do have our own homosexual groups that we stick with and that we feel comfortable in (i.e. black lesbian, trans., gay bears, pansexuals, etc.), but what’s wrong with stepping outside the box and learning about different communities other than your own?
Bi Social Network – Maria: Has biphobia increased in recent year and have relations between [the] bi and gay communities gotten better? I’m fully aware that it’s everywhere; ignorance is everywhere and a lot of people are not trying to educate themselves, they [would] rather put their foot in their mouths and bash a certain group as a whole—without learning about the person first.
Tiffany: As far as relations between gays and bi’s, I still see some sort of a homo[sexual] segregation, and I guess it’s because they’re afraid of what others think, if one is friends with bisexuals, and that’s just sad. Personally, I feel that the relations within our own community could improve a little bit. We all just need to stick together and stop trippin’ about the bi’s—for not all are bad, nasty, whores, etc. …it’s those “bad,” “nasty,” “whores” that do feed up things [for] other people that gives bisexuals a bad name.
I even had to put a young, 21-year-old butch/stud in her place because she had the nerve to say that bi’s are greedy and that they need to make up their mind[s] on who they want to be with—such ignorance!
Bi Social Network – Maria: Do you have to deal with a lot of homophobia were you live?
Tiffany: Well personally, I’ve never dealt [with it] with face-to-face (I better knock on some wood!!), but as far as homophobia in my town—my goodness! When the “No on 8″ protest was happening, I’ve never seen so much homophobia in Solano County, California in my life. It shocked the hell out of me, but it also saddened me to see that not everybody is accepting of others.
Bi Social Network – Maria: How involved are you in the BLGT community?
Tiffany: I get involved with the LGBT community as much as I can, hence making and selling Pride Bracelets for the community. Just to show my involvement in the community, I just volunteered for the women’s group at The Solano Pride Center. I help out with their garage sales when I can, and I was one of the first youth group members and a volunteer when they first started 10-years ago.
On top of that, I’m in the process of trying [to] connect with a black lesbian organization—located in Oakland, California, called NIA Collective, as far as making a new bracelet for them (crossing my fingers). In fact, they have a retreat every year in Petaluma, California called the NIA Gathering, and I’ve been attending there since 2005 and selling my handmade bracelets. Oh yes, I was even involved in a “No on 8″ protest for about three days straight, and I had a blast, I was so involved in the “No on 8″ protest that I even made a “No on 8 Theme Bracelet” in the same as the original protest poster (before they made it blue, white and red).
In case anyone doesn’t know what Prop. 8 is, it [is]—a California proposition that bans same-sex marriage, and unfortunately it made it on the ballot before elections, shortly after the supreme court decided that same-sex marriage in California is legal.
Bi Social Network – Maria: Tiffany, thank you so much for the interview!
Tiffany: Mizz M., I appreciate you interviewing me and if anyone wants to order a Bisexual Pride Bracelet (or the traditional Rainbow Bracelet) then visit my website at www.tiffanyspridebracelets.com, and shipping is free!!
Bi Social Network – Maria: So, everyone go buy a bracelet at www.tiffanyspridebracelets.com and support the pride lady! You can also find Tiffany and her bracelets on myspace, facebook, and twitter. Note: for the facebook page, you have to log in before you can see the page. The link will take you to facebook, then go ahead and log in, and then you will see it.
One of the arguments against bisexuality and the bisexual/pansexual community that I’ve seen written on too many gay blogs is the whole “when I first came out I said I was bi too, then later I realized I was gay.” This tiresome argument drives me nuts, because for starters—just because that’s how it happened to some people, doesn’t mean that’s how it is for everyone. But unfortunately, even I can’t deny that it does happen, and I’m not too fond of the whole “bi now, gay later” bit. For a while now, I’ve wanted to say to people; when you first come out, if you aren’t sure, don’t use the word bisexual—because if you do and you later realize you are gay, it will only lend credence to the stereotype. When I first came out, even though I was reasonably sure I was bisexual, I just said I was “not sure” and “questioning”, until I was sure, as I explored the BTLG world. The bi/pan community is a very welcoming place to explore one’s sexuality, something that has always been an asset, but unfortunately this can backfire if people go on to realize they are gay or straight; they can think that bisexuality and/or being between gay and straight in general is just an “in between” phase or label.