Enza Anderson

{{Infobox person

| name = Enza Anderson

| image = Enza Anderson.jpg

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1964}}{{cite web|url= http://www.sceneandheard.ca/archive/V2_03/focus_enza.htm|title= My date with Enza|accessdate= 2008-06-23|author= Antoine Tedesco|publisher= www.sceneandheard.ca|quote= The 38-year-old... with Pride Week 2002 now in full swing|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080626101724/http://www.sceneandheard.ca/archive/V2_03/focus_enza.htm|archivedate= 2008-06-26}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| nationality = Canadian

| death_date =

| death_place =

| other_names =

| occupation = Journalist, media personality, politician, activist

| known_for =

| spouse =

| website =

}}

Enza Anderson (born 1964) is a Canadian journalist, media personality, Ontario politician, and transgender rights activist.

Early life and education

Anderson was born in Toronto, Ontario. Assigned male at birth,{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617164740/http://www.fabmagazine.com/miscthings/archive/288.html |title=Misc Things |first= Scott|last= Dagostino|work= Fab Magazine|year=2011 |accessdate=25 April 2011|archivedate= 2008-06-17|url= http://www.fabmagazine.com/miscthings/archive/288.html}} she grew up in Toronto, living near Jane and Finch{{cite web|url= https://www.thestar.com/article/445060|title= Grand Marshal Enza's outgoing, not outrageous|accessdate= 2008-06-23|author= Bruce DeMara|date= 2008-06-23|publisher= Toronto Star}} with an Italian-Catholic father.

She initially 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.

Early career

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.{{Cite book|title=The Transsexual Delusion|last=Pichler|first=Eugene|publisher=Lulu.com|year=2016|isbn=9781365237249|location=|pages=164}}

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,{{cite web|url= http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=3&STORY_ID=4952&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=2|title= Pride grand marshal: Model citizen|accessdate= 2008-06-23|author= Chris Dupuis|date= 2008-06-19|publisher= Xtra!|archive-date= 2009-08-20|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090820223429/http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=3&STORY_ID=4952&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=2|url-status= dead}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/aboutus |title=Metro - Toronto : About Us |accessdate=2010-06-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305125714/http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/aboutus |archivedate=2010-03-05 }} She also divides her work schedule at the Bank of Montreal assisting clients as a financial services manager.

Politics

Image:Enza Anderson at Pride 08.jpg

In 2000, Anderson ran for mayor of Toronto. Although the eventual winner of that campaign, Mel Lastman, won over 80% of the vote, Anderson garnered 13,585 votes, placing third behind Lastman and Tooker Gomberg.{{cite web|url= http://www.gay.com/content/tools/print.html?coll=news_articles&sernum=2000/11/14/2&navpath=channels/news|title= Ontario Gays Cheer Election Wins|accessdate= 2008-06-23|date= 2000-11-14|publisher= Gay.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070330105538/http://www.gay.com/content/tools/print.html?coll=news_articles|archive-date= 2007-03-30|url-status= dead}} She was one of the few candidates besides Lastman, Gomberg and Ben Kerr to gain widespread name recognition in the race, even though her campaign largely consisted of standing on downtown street corners with a handmade placard bearing the slogan "A Super City Deserves a Super Model!".

In 2002, Anderson ran for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance. She was unable to raise the $25,000 required by the party to register as a candidate, and dropped out of the race before the convention which ultimately chose Stephen Harper.{{cite web|url= http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25071053_ITM|title= Drag queen's political bid a bust.|accessdate= 2008-06-23|date= 2002-03-05|work= The Advocate}}

In the 2003 municipal election in Toronto, Anderson ran for a city council seat against incumbent Kyle Rae and placed second, though she was not considered to be a serious threat against him.{{cite web|url= http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=3&STORY_ID=2248&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=3|title= Let's see a real race in Ward 27|accessdate= 2008-06-23|author= Krishna Rau|date= 2006-10-26|publisher= Xtra!|archive-date= 2007-07-14|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070714200028/http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=3&STORY_ID=2248&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=3|url-status= dead}}

She ran and lost in the same ward in the 2010 municipal election.{{Cite web | url=http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091125/091125_enza_anderson/20091125/?hub=CP24Home | title=Enza Anderson to run for city council in 2010| date=2009-11-25}}

Media

Anderson has a column in the Toronto newspaper Metro, covering local entertainment and party gossip since 2004,{{cite web|url= https://www.thestar.com/article/444921|title= Enza gets her Marilyn moment|accessdate= 2008-06-23|author= Rita Zekas|date= 2008-06-21|publisher= Toronto Star}} 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 also a fully clothed guest interviewer in the male version of Naked News.

She was the subject of a 2003 documentary by Carlos Valencia named A Man in a Dress,{{cite web|url= http://www.jamesweggreview.org/reviews/filmdvdvideo/a_man_in_a_dress.html|title= Against All Odds|accessdate= 2008-06-23|author= S. James Wegg|date= 2004-05-20|publisher= jamesweggreview.org}} and was also interviewed speaking about her spirituality on Vision TV's Credo.[http://www.visiontv.ca/Programs/Enza/CredoEnza1.htm Enza "Supermodel" Anderson] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129013624/http://www.visiontv.ca/Programs/Enza/CredoEnza1.htm |date=2008-01-29 }} In 2015 Enza was the feature of her second documentary "...When The Bullying Ends" which was selected to screen at the 2016 Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival in India. Directed by queer filmmaker Raymond Helkio tells the story her work as an anti-bullying and queer rights activist.

Anderson was chosen as grand marshal of Toronto's 2008 Pride Parade.{{Cite web|url= http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=3&STORY_ID=4864&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=2|title= Grand marshal miffed - Enza left to sort out Pride ride, gala ticket|last= Dupuis|first= Chris|publisher= Xtra, Pink Triangle Press|date= 2008-06-05|accessdate= 2008-06-16|archive-date= 2009-08-20|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090820223352/http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=3&STORY_ID=4864&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=2|url-status= dead}}

Community activism

Anderson served as a board member of the Church and Wellesley Neighbourhood Police Liaison Committee.{{cite news|title=No epidemic of Glee-style assaults in Village: Wong-Tam|url=http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/No_epidemic_of_Gleestyle_assaults_in_Village_WongTam-9701.aspx|accessdate=March 24, 2012|newspaper=Xtra|date=January 27, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130134710/http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/No_epidemic_of_Gleestyle_assaults_in_Village_WongTam-9701.aspx|archivedate=January 30, 2011}} Her two years as Pride Committee Co-chair of Fundraising helped raise record amounts needed to cover festival costs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/how-trans-icon-enza-anderson-has-made-toronto-a-better-place-just-by-being-who-she-is-1.4200054|title=How trans icon Enza Anderson has made Toronto a better place — just by being who she is|last=Mason|first=Jenna|date=2017-07-11|website=CBC|access-date=2019-09-12}} She put in many fundraising hours for the AIDS Committee of Toronto and its signature fundraising event Fashion Cares.{{cite news|title=Enza Anderson – Ward 27 candidate|url=http://www.insidetorontovotes.ca/wards/downtown/ward-27-toronto-centre-rosedale/enza-anderson-ward-27-candidate/|accessdate=March 24, 2012|newspaper=Inside Toronto Votes|date=Fall 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927155401/http://www.insidetorontovotes.ca/wards/downtown/ward-27-toronto-centre-rosedale/enza-anderson-ward-27-candidate/|archivedate=September 27, 2010}} Anderson helped bring awareness of support groups like the People With AIDS Foundation and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Youth Support Line.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160108065228/http://www.haltonpride.org/enza.html Enza "Supermodel" Anderson]}}, Halton Pride She also served on the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations. She also serves on the LGBT Consultative Committee-Toronto Police Service.{{cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Jenn |title=How trans icon Enza Anderson has made Toronto a better place — just by being who she is {{!}} CBC Arts |url=https://www.cbc.ca/arts/how-trans-icon-enza-anderson-has-made-toronto-a-better-place-just-by-being-who-she-is-1.4200054 |accessdate=9 March 2019 |work=CBC |publisher=CBC Arts |date=11 July 2017 |language=en}}

References

External links

{{IMDb name|2242608}}
[http://www.nakednewsdailymale.com/bios/enzaanderson.php Enza Anderson - Field Reporter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223103904/http://www.nakednewsdailymale.com/bios/enzaanderson.php |date=2020-02-23 }} for NakedNewsDailyMale

Category:1964 births

Category:Living people

Category:Canadian columnists

Category:Canadian LGBTQ people in municipal politics

Category:Canadian people of Italian descent

Category:Journalists from Toronto

Category:Canadian LGBTQ journalists

Category:Canadian LGBTQ rights activists

Category:Ontario municipal politicians

Category:Politicians from Toronto

Category:Seneca College alumni

Category:LGBTQ media personalities