Trans* Success

Enza “Supermodel” Anderson is a Canadian transgender political activist and media personality.  She grew up in Toronto, living near Jane and Finch with an Italian-Catholic father.  Initially she attended York University to study geography but left due to a combination of lack of interest in the subject and her mother becoming sick. After a one-year hiatus, she attended Seneca College where she studied civil engineering and technologies. After graduation she worked as the quality control supervisor of a concrete pipe-manufacturing plant, but was laid off after five years. She then worked part-time as a bartender at Woody’s.  In 1995 she got a job at a hair salon on Yonge Street, which called for her to hand out flyers for the salon to pedestrians in drag. It was during that job that a photo of her kissing then-mayor Mel Lastman ended up on the front cover of the Toronto Sun, marking the start of her career in the public eye.

Anderson wrote a social column, “The Hot Ticket”, for Canada’s highest circulated free daily newspaper, Metro Toronto. She also divides her work schedule at the Bank of Montreal assisting clients as a financial services manager.  In 2000, Anderson ran for mayor of Toronto. Although the eventual winner of that campaign, Mel Lastman, won over 80 per cent of the vote, Anderson garnered 13,585 votes, placing third behind Lastman and Tooker Gomberg. She was one of the few candidates besides Lastman, Gomberg and Ben Kerr to gain widespread name recognition in the race.  In the 2003 municipal election in Toronto, Anderson ran for a city council seat against incumbent Kyle Rae and placed second, though she was originally not considered to be a serious threat against him.

Anderson has a column in the Toronto newspaper Metro, covering local entertainment and party gossip since 2004, after she pitched the idea of her doing a column to the editor-in-chief, bringing a mocked-up version of one of her articles complete with Metro banner. She was the subject of a 2003 documentary by Carlos Valencia and was interviewed speaking about her spirituality on Vision TV’s Credo.  Anderson was chosen as Grand Marshall of Toronto’s 2008 Pride Parade and served as a board member of the Church and Wellesley Neighborhood Police Liaison Committee. Her two years as Pride Committee Co-chair of Fundraising helped raise record amounts needed to cover festival costs. She put in many fundraising hours for the AIDS Committee of Toronto and its signature fundraising event Fashion Cares. Anderson helped bring awareness of support groups like the People With AIDS Foundation and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Youth Support Line. She serves on the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations.

Dr. Kevin Maxey is an Emergency Physician with 17 years experience.  He is the co-founder and current president of Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA) and one of the founders of Dezert Boyz, a support group for trans men in Arizona.  Kevin is currently the only founder of SAGA remaining in Arizona.  He takes an active interest in the group and eve holds annual thanksgiving gatherings at his house for the trans community.  Notably, he is also the co-author of the American College of Emergency Physicians Resolution.

American College of Emergency Physicians Code of Ethics Resolution:
“Provision of emergency medical treatment should not be based on gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, real or perceived gender identity, or cultural background.”

Ira Gray is a queer, femme, genderqueer, trans* guy who is a first generation Cuban immigrant, neurodivergent, poor, and radical in every way. He was disowned at the age of 19 by his hetero/cissexist parents. Soon after, he came out as trans*. He had just started writing a blog and decided to dedicate his blog to his experience and to trans* advocacy and education. He’s known largely for his willingness to answer questions in this space and provide support to any and all who need it.

Ira currently lives in the Phoenix area and teaches free workshops on a variety of subjects, one of which is a pretty successful trans* 101 workshop that he will be taking to Tucson next year for TDOR. He is also known for founding theCircle, an anti-profit project started after he found out that the Big Brother Binder Program only helps binary transgender men.  In the future, he plans to continue educating folks by whatever means necessary. You may see him facilitating a workshop or having hot sex in a T-Wood film. He plans to travel, to learn, to love, to collaborate, to create, and to change the world.

Visit Ira Gray’s Website