When we designed our Multitasking shirt, my partner and I intended as a tongue-in-cheek way to celebrate male-male-female and female-female-male threesomes and polyamorous relationships. We never expected that it had the power to make someone cry.
The mission of the bipride and polypride apparel, accessories and stories we create is to raise awareness of the communities we're a part of and to make people feel recognized and included. All too often, bisexual and polyamorous people are left out of the LGBT mix when it comes to pride celebrations and advocacy. The Multitasking shirt was one way to make people smile and feel celebrated.
At Portland Pride, the first Pride festival we set up shop at, countless people literally ran up to us so excited to see our bisexual pride flags and shirts. We were the only bisexual booth at the festival. Their enthusiasm and pride was so encouraging. When most people saw the Multitasking shirt, they giggled or said "Oh that's so funny." A few times we had to explain what it meant. One mom had to tell her son "I'll tell you what it means in 10 years." Then a man and his kids came up and immediately grabbed the FFM Multitasking shirt. With tears in his eyes, he thanked us for representing his family.
My mother once asked me why on earth queer people would want to display their sexuality on a shirt. She asked if it was just a pride thing. It is that, and that means the world to queer communities that often feel invisible.
