Enza "Supermodel" Anderson chills over coffee and dessert

Sitting and chatting with Enza "Supermodel" Anderson in The Croissant Tree on Church St. just north of The Village was a wonderful way to spend the early evening. Her blonde hair (sometimes red, but never brunette), her trademark legs and that miniskirt said, "I'm really happy being me."

Sure, Enza sometimes wishes she was born a woman or that she could tell her traditional Italian father she's gay and dresses in drag, but she's completely happy being who she is: a drag queen, politician with an absolutely wonderful personality and a mind to go with the legs.

"The fun part of it all, cross-dressing, is that intriguing aspect because you were fooled for so long until that moment you found out it was a guy," she said over coffee and dessert. "Before that point you're saying, 'Boy I'd like to fuck her!' When I'm walking up the street I get a lot of straight guys saying, 'Oh man, you're hot,' so I say, 'Honey, if you only knew what I had between my legs.'"

The 38-year-old, 5' 9" (6' in heels) Pride Week 2002 spokesmodel ran against Megacity Mel Lastman in the 2000 Mayoral election grabbing 13,585 votes, she was a former leadership hopeful for the Canadian Alliance, has shaken Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's hand, and has kissed both Mel Lastman (June of 1998) and Police Chief Julian Fantino (January of 2000).

"I've always been interested in politics, I've always followed every level of politics because politics effects everybody in terms of laws, in terms of policies, in terms of our lifestyles, and in terms of the way we live," she said. "People need to realize that politics effects us. Only when something effects them personally, that's when people decide to do something, but it shouldn't be like that, it should be when it effects everyone as a group, as a community that it really makes a difference."

Unlike many politicians Enza walks the community walk, and has volunteered her time to various community organizations, including the Aids Committee of Toronto, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual Youth support line, People with Aids Foundation, Fashion Cares, and was a Former board member of The Church And Wellesley Neighbourhood Police Liaison Committee.

The coffee and couch talk moved back and forth from topic to topic, and from one-liner to bawdy joke; each comment punctuated with another fact, or by a whimsical comment about cock sucking, cruising the bars, and eating pasta. Her sex appeal is her charm.

"When I was running for mayor, one guy at Yonge and Eglinton said to me, 'Fuck off you faggot, get off the street!' I turned to him and said, 'Sir, it's not fuck off you faggot, it's fuck off you faggot supermodel. I don't care what you call me, just make sure you include the word supermodel,'" she smiled.

	Enza makes sure not to show too much ass

"Regardless, I think people do take me seriously. In the beginning I wanted to show people that these legs had a brain, and that I knew what the issues and policies where. Sometimes it's hard for people to comprehend, but I found I could let people know I knew the issues, and that I would give them a straight answer about homelessness, the environment, public transit, the list is a long one."

With Pride Week 2002 now in full swing, our June 7th conversation had a pre-Pride feel to it when discussing the struggles and challenges the LGBTTIQ community have experienced over the years.

"This year the theme for Pride is Uncensored, and the fact that for decades the community has been oppressed: you can't publish these books, you can't show these videos, you can't have sex in a bar, you can't have gay bars.

"I think it's gotten to a point where I think we're saying, 'We're feed up, and we want the freedom to express ourselves.' I think the movement right now is to give us our space, and let us enjoy all aspects of gay culture and lifestyle. The gay community has made so many strides in terms of laws recognizing all sexuality, but there's still a lot more to do. What's the next fight going to be?"

Sitting in agreement, we laughed about how people - queer or straight - should express themselves more, enjoy each others company more, and "have sex in the park to know how good it feels."

It was time to go. We packed up our things; then the photographs started getting snapped. One slinky pose after the other, asking, "Am I showing too much ass? I don't want to show too much ass," she winked.

The chatting and laughing continued down Church St. towards Wilde Oscars, where we shared a two-cheek kiss goodbye, but before we got that far she asked me, "Do you get easily embarrassed Antoine? I'm going to blow those straight guys staring at me an Enza 'Supermodel' Anderson kiss."

"Go for it," I smiled.

- Photographs by Antoine Tedesco

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