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[[File:Photographed by Despina Spyrou during the filming of DODO, a feature film directed by Panos Koutras..jpg|thumb]] | |||
'''[[Tzef Montana]]''' is a Greek model, actor, music manager, and [[LGBT|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 "[[Nonbinary|non-binary]]" in its title. | |||
| | == Early career == | ||
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{{Cite web|title=Cover story: SOPHIE|url=https://djmag.com/features/sophie|website=DJ Mag|date=2018-06-01|access-date=2025-07-28}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. | |||
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==Quotes== | == Acting == | ||
"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. | Montana appeared in the 2022 film ''Dodo'', which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival,{{Cite web |title=Dodo |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/dodo/ |website=Festival de Cannes |access-date=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.{{Cite web |title=Swimming Home Cast |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/film/428844/ |website=Cineuropa |access-date=2025-07-28}} | ||
== Activism == | |||
==References== | 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.{{Cite web |title=Tzef Montana kontra Kougia |url=https://www.news247.gr/koinonia/i-antidrasi-tis-tzef-montana-gia-ton-kougkia.9135217.html |website=News247 |language=el |date=2021-03-02 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | ||
{{reflist}} | 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. | |||
[[Category: | == Fallout with SOPHIE == | ||
[[Category: Nonbinary people]] | 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. | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montana, Tzef}} | 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.”{{cite web |last=Montana |first=Tzef |title=The True Story Behind SOPHIE's Identity |url=https://medium.com/@tzefmontana_16073/the-true-story-behind-sophies-identity-fdc3f12b1137 |website=Medium |date=2025-07-14 |access-date=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. | |||
== Writing == | |||
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''.{{Cite web |title=Αν δεν είμαι η Τζεφ Μοντάνα, δεν πάω ούτε μέχρι το περίπτερο |url=https://www.news247.gr/magazine/an-den-eimai-i-tzef-montana-den-pao-oute-mexri-to-periptero/ |website=News247 |language=el |date=2023-06-12 |access-date=2025-07-28}} Its ISBN is [[ISBN]] 9789609515221. The book blends memoir, theory, and cultural criticism and was profiled in ''Athens Voice''.{{Cite web |title=Αν δεν είμαι η Τζεφ Μοντάνα, δεν πάω ούτε μέχρι το περίπτερο |url=https://www.news247.gr/magazine/an-den-eimai-i-tzef-montana-den-pao-oute-mexri-to-periptero/ |website=News247 |language=el |date=2023-06-12 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | |||
== Media coverage == | |||
Montana has been featured in: | |||
''MEL Magazine''{{Cite web |last=Montana |first=Tzef |title=I'm a Non-Binary Greek Model and Queer Activist |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/im-a-non-binary-greek-model-and-queer-activist |website=MEL Magazine |date=2017 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | |||
''PAPER''{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Jhoni |title=Non-Binary Greek Model Tzef Montana Keeps It Cute |url=https://www.papermag.com/tzef-montana-keeps-it-cute-2532482916.html |website=PAPER |date=2018-02-08 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | |||
''Intomore''{{Cite web |last=Penney |first=Alexis Blair |title=Model Tzef Montana Is Fashion's Nonbinary Future |url=https://www.intomore.com/culture/model-tzef-montana-is-fashions-nonbinary-future/ |website=Intomore |date=2018-03-13 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | |||
''YASS Magazine''{{Cite web |title=Tzef Montana, the ultimate non-binary supermodel |url=https://yassmagazine.org/2018/11/07/tzefmontana/ |website=YASS Magazine |date=2018-11-07 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | |||
''Gay Times''{{Cite web |title=Tzef Montana Feature |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/gay-times-magazine/20180801/281616716179026 |website=Gay Times (PressReader) |date=2018-08-01 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | |||
''Eyes on Hollywood''{{Cite web |title=Tzef Montana in the Spotlight: A Story of Acceptance, Love and Fame |url=https://eyesonhollywood.com/tzef-montana-in-the-spotlight-a-story-of-acceptance-love-and-fame/ |website=Eyes on Hollywood |date=2023-09-03 |access-date=2025-07-28}} | |||
== Quotes == | |||
"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." | |||
== External links == | |||
[https://www.instagram.com/tzefmontana/ Instagram] | |||
== References == | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
[[Category:Activists]] | |||
[[Category:Performers]] | |||
[[Category:Genderqueer people]] | |||
[[Category:Nonbinary people]] | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montana, Tzef}} | |||