TZEF MONTANA.
The international non-binary model on genderqueer activism and the ongoing fight for equality.
The non-binary model and activist is as fabulous as the lewks they serve, but don’t for one second think that it’s all surface level stuff. Tzef continues to break boundaries while existing outside of the gender binary.
Tzef Montana is on their way to an appointment back home in Greece when we call them up. Oh, and their mother is on the line too – driving the car no less. “Shut up and drive mother!” Tzef laughs as she tries to get involved with the conversation. “I’m not being horrible to my mum, it’s that famous quote.”
The non-binary model and activist is as fabulous as the lewks they serve, but don’t for one second think that it’s all surface level stuff. Tzef continues to break boundaries while existing outside of the gender binary. Whether they are speaking on the panel at the Girlboss Rally, or winning a spot in a high-profile Covergirl television campaign, their fight to be included in these spaces is very much activism in the modern sense.
“It’s important to me because I don’t care about being a model – it’s not about me,” they explain. “It’s about what I stand for.” Here we chat to Tzef further about the ongoing fight for equality, their experience rejecting the gender binary, and what activism looks like in 2018.
When did you realise that you sat outside of the gender binary?
I didn’t have a moment where I came to realisation of such – it’s just who I am, who I’ve always been. I’ve always had that knowledge since I remember in my conscience when I was young. Non-binary – name it, call it whatever, words are words – is a thing that I believe in. My personal journey – because context is very important – I grew up in Greece with a Belgian mother and an Ethiopian-Greek father in the Greek suburbs being super androgynous. As a kid I always questioned. In my daily life I’d wake up in the morning and I’d go to the bakery and I met a stranger who approached me, looked at me in the eyes and asked me in the third person, ‘What is this?’ I’ve had to justify that every day. I have to be like, ‘I have eyes, a nose, and ears.’ Non-binary is an ongoing thing. You keep discovering who you are, and how you feel comfortable, and to embrace yourself – as long as the spectrum is broad. It’s being who you are in the most honest way.
Growing up did you have any role models you could identify with?
Not really, no. I didn’t have that. I had strong female figures, and then masculine figures which were very specific. So it was always in terms of what is considered being a man or being a woman. I was always inspired by the women.
How important are visible role models for queer youth?
Of course they’re very important. Extremely important, because when a person has a voice and you see that it is there and clear and strong, but it’s not a majority, it’s important that that voice is there. It’s not that anyone is ever invisible, it’s that people choose to put them in the shadow or outshine them. It’s also important to that person. It’s nice when you are rewarded and appreciated in the way that you want to be treated yourself. In terms of activism and being visible, it’s really important, but it’s not the place I’m coming from. I’m coming from basic rights.
Have you had any negative reactions to being non-binary from within the LGBTQ community?
Within the LGBTQ community? Of course not. The LGBTQ community has the same strule. We have an understanding. Ideologically, on paper someone like me doesn’t feel like we’re diametrically opposed. I never judge in that way. When you see a person who sees you, that can never be negative. We do have a problem, we do have anger, and we do have pain and unfairness, and sometimes the only person you can talk to who understands you, the dialogue gets miserable. But the heart is in the same place, so no, I haven’t have any negativity from within the LGBTQ community.
Do Pride celebrations do enough to support the non-binary community, or could they be doing more?
For me it’s beyond giving power to a group of people. Changing dynamics is difficult, so with Pride it all depends on the place and the time. So if we talk about Hollywood where I choose to live now, it’s a different Pride than the others I’ve experienced recently, like Mexico City. So you go to the Pride in West Hollywood and it feels like a corporate experience, but then you go to Mexico City and there’s a feeling of a riot, of a political statement or need to gain some ground. You can’t really compare. I feel like when you do experience life as non-binary or trans and you doubt the aspersions of anachronistic ideas and behaviours, the bier your purpose becomes for everything you do. You need to have an impact and purpose in every way. If you think about it, 30 years ago there wasn’t the internet and it was a different generation with limited information. As a kid of my generation I hope that in 10 years ours sounds outdated, but the fight is something that should never stop. The fight for equality is ongoing.
What does activism look like in 2018?
Activism comes from the word action, so every individual is it – we react to action, but we also act ourselves. We are all in control of our actions. By knowing who we are, and knowing what we decide is the only thing we can control. For me, my actions are.. I do a lot of things that I feel sometimes are compromised, but I hope we do not lose the forest over the tree. That’s very important today with so much noise. Extending what you’re doing and why you are doing it. Even when you’re feeling lost or disorientated sometimes, knowing your purpose and knowing why you do what you do... For me, I feel proud to have achieved things that, as a whole, I will never regret. My latest job was for Covergirl and that was a fight. You work in media and understand the whole reason why queer and non-binary models need to be visible and to be given the spotlight, but after the meetings I had with the biest agencies, although they were impressed by my work and what I’ve achieved, they only cared about money. I’ve always gotten the same reaction out of them: ‘The world isn’t ready, so let’s wait.’ This is not the
way to approach creativity in general. It didn’t stop me. My really good friend from Greece, I brought her to America and she opened an agency with me mentoring her. I told her: ‘Every single casting you see that wants female models, submit me and I’ll go there.’ So I went there and I was cast as a Covergirl model. Out of 500 other women, I was cast as one of the principal ones, and that’s an achievement. To me this is activism. It’s important to me because I don’t care about being a model – it’s not about me. It’s about what I stand for.
How do you decide on which brands to work with to make sure that they truly are being inclusive, rather than box-ticking for certain campaigns?
That’s a very good question. It’s based on impact. My criteria is: is the impact strong enough? Will it get to the kids in middle America who would never know that I exist, or that people like us can have a happy and successful life? The second criteria is: what am I compromising here? Will I be in control of presenting who I am? I can embody a cheerleader or a prom queen or a cowboy or any of that, but will I be myself behind the look? Will I be able to communicate the message that I want to communicate? If those two criteria are greenlighted, I turn up without questioning anything on set, because there’s always a tonne of nonsense when you get there.
How can we do more to educate society about the issues and prejudices non-binary people face?
Everyone knows what the norm is, y’know? But respect is what needs to happen. That is something that unfortunately cannot be forced. Respect is inspired, so trying to inspire to respect me and our differences is the sort of thing that creates solidarity. I don’t want to fight. Despite our differences – because we don’t have to agree on everything – to be respected is non negotiable. It’s about standing tall, chest forward.
Do you think clothes and cosmetics brands will move towards eliminating gender-assigned sections in their stores?
People like me, creatives, designers, individuals with a vision, a heart and a soul are the ones who are changing it. Brands only care about money and numbers. The market is there, and the numbers are there, but we have to convince them that they can make money.