Carmen Vázquez's purple and silver tie

Carmen Vázquez's Italian silk maroon tie with white and silver designs, was a gift to Vázquez for her speaking engagement at the 1996 Creating Change National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Conference in Arlington, VA. This tie also signifies the influence of Vázquez’s butch identity on her life and how wearing the tie publicly has served as an important identity-claiming moment in her own family.