Tippi
Born in Cleveland on June 6, 1952, Died in San Francisco August 25, 1991.
An original member of the Sluts A Go-Go drag troupe, appearing in every Sluts A Go-Go show from 1979-1990. She starred as Princess Angel in the film Vegas In Space, danced with the Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra, was featured on the Gay Cable Network, and portrayed Rhoda, the evil little girl in the theatrical version of The Bad Seed.
Naturally feminine, Tippi expressed herself as feminine at the age of three and was often bullied as a sissy. After stints in Chicago, New York and LA, she landed in San Francisco in the early 1970s, presenting in an androgynous fashion. Friendships with Ambi Sextrous and Freda Lay encouraged her to take feminine gender presentation further. She met Doris Fish in 1975 through their mutual acquaintance, Ambi Sextrous and under Doris’ influence she began her drag life under the name “Miss Leading”, finally adopting the name Tippi (inspired party by Tippi Hedren, but mostly inspired by Cyril Magnin’s dog Tippi) in 1982.
Although Tippi did not have access to hormones, she was certainly a trans woman, in contrast to her co-stars Doris and X, who where gay and bisexual men, respectively.
Tippi was talented as a dancer and was a natural comedienne with very sharp camp sensibilities. Obsessed with old Hollywood glamour, as were all the Sluts, she watched old movies on television constantly. Vivacious and extroverted onstage, Tippi was quite shy and was painfully introverted later in life. She was in a romantic relationship with Bob Davis (Ms. Bobbie Davis) in her final years.
She died of complications from AIDS just two weeks after Doris Fish passed away.
