Tzef Montana
Tzef Montana is a Greek model, actor, music manager, and LGBTQ+ activist. They are known for their pioneering role in nonbinary representation in Greek media, their advocacy work, and their appearances in international films. Montana is the founder of LGBT Center Greece and the author of the first book in Greek history to include the term "non-binary" in its title.
Early careerEdit
Montana graduated from UCLA and began their career in the music industry. They worked at Interscope Records and managed artists including Slayer, Ghost, Mastodon, Ilia Darlin (their former spouse), and SOPHIE. In a 2018 DJ Mag cover story, SOPHIE referred to Montana as her manager"Cover story: SOPHIE". DJ Mag. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2025-07-28.[Dead link].
ActingEdit
Montana appeared in the 2022 film Dodo, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival,"Dodo". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2025-07-28. and starred in Swimming Home. Their performance in Dodo as Eva is noted as the first explicitly nonbinary character in Greek cinema."Swimming Home Cast". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
ActivismEdit
Montana is the founder of LGBT Center Greece, a nonprofit initiative focused on healthcare access, safe spaces, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ communities in Athens. They became widely known in Greece after intervening publicly in the trial of theatre director Dimitris Lignadis, where they openly criticized defense attorney Alexis Kougias and condemned the court system for what they described as its complicity in abuse and institutional cover-up."Tzef Montana kontra Kougia". News247 (in Greek). 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
Montana also publicly confronted Greek journalist Giorgos Liagas after a televised segment that was widely criticized as transphobic. They later appeared on national television in a viral interview with Eve Beos, daughter of controversial Volos mayor Achilleas Beos, where they addressed gender identity, politics, and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in conservative Greek municipalities. In 2023, Montana publicly denounced a sexual harassment scandal involving a Greek congressman, highlighting the lack of institutional support for survivors. That same year, they criticized Minister Lina Mendoni and the Greek Ministry of Culture for what they called "pinkwashing" during Thessaloniki Pride.
Fallout with SOPHIEEdit
Following their breakup in 2019, Montana publicly alleged that SOPHIE had privately identified as a man while publicly presenting as a trans woman for strategic and branding purposes. Montana stated that during their relationship and managerial role, they were directly involved in shaping SOPHIE’s public-facing identity — including trans-specific language used in key interviews and features. They later described this experience as emotionally destabilizing and traumatic, claiming it contributed to a period of personal crisis and near-detransition.
Montana has emphasized that their attempt to publicly share this story has been ignored or actively silenced by major queer platforms and institutions, despite being supported by private emails, firsthand interviews, and documented history. They argue that public memory around SOPHIE’s identity has been shaped by curated myth rather than full reality, and that this silencing reflects a broader discomfort with confronting complexity, especially in narratives involving fame, gender, and control. In a widely shared 2025 essay titled The True Story Behind SOPHIE's Identity, Montana wrote: “SOPHIE’s public trans identity… was a fantasy that spiraled out of control... she took the time to learn. She asked questions. She cared… But the politics behind it—the pressure, the performance, the silence—were flawed.”Montana, Tzef (2025-07-14). "The True Story Behind SOPHIE's Identity". Medium. Retrieved 2025-07-28. Montana has said they are not seeking to “undo” SOPHIE’s legacy, but to provide missing context that impacted both their personal life and how queer identity gets publicly constructed under media pressure. They argue that visibility should never come at the cost of truth, consent, or emotional survival.
WritingEdit
Montana authored a book that became the first in Greek literary history to feature the term "non-binary" in its title. The book blends memoir, theory, and cultural criticism and was profiled in Athens Voice."Αν δεν είμαι η Τζεφ Μοντάνα, δεν πάω ούτε μέχρι το περίπτερο". News247 (in Greek). 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2025-07-28. Its ISBN is ISBN 9789609515221. The book blends memoir, theory, and cultural criticism and was profiled in Athens Voice."Αν δεν είμαι η Τζεφ Μοντάνα, δεν πάω ούτε μέχρι το περίπτερο". News247 (in Greek). 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
Media coverageEdit
Montana has been featured in:
MEL MagazineMontana, Tzef (2017). "I'm a Non-Binary Greek Model and Queer Activist". MEL Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-28. PAPERJackson, Jhoni (2018-02-08). "Non-Binary Greek Model Tzef Montana Keeps It Cute". PAPER. Retrieved 2025-07-28. IntomorePenney, Alexis Blair (2018-03-13). "Model Tzef Montana Is Fashion's Nonbinary Future". Intomore. Retrieved 2025-07-28. YASS Magazine"Tzef Montana, the ultimate non-binary supermodel". YASS Magazine. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2025-07-28. Gay Times"Tzef Montana Feature". Gay Times (PressReader). 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2025-07-28. Eyes on Hollywood"Tzef Montana in the Spotlight: A Story of Acceptance, Love and Fame". Eyes on Hollywood. 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
QuotesEdit
"My gender is queer. It's not just about pink or blue, it's about fluidity beyond any one idea of what's right for anyone... I eventually realized gender norms and the way people performed them were the problem, not me."
