Xanthra Phillippa Mackay is a transsexual cultural producer, videomaker, writer, zine editor/publisher and radio host since 1992. She (along with Mirha-Soleil Ross) produced gendertrash in the early 1990s. She has been involved with Counting Past 2 since its inception in '97. Her writing has appeared in the aforementioned gendertrash and Willyboy. She can be heard hosting Psychopathia Transsexualis: transsexual news, information and culture", on alternate Mondays from 11 - 12 noon on CIUT 89.5FM. Finally she volunteered at the MEAL - TRANS program, a meal drop in for low income, street active and marginalized Transsexual and transgendered people at the 519 Church Street Community Centre in Toronto.

February 5th, 2014
Mourning the loss of Xanthra Phillipa MacKay
Today I heard about the loss of transsexual video artist, activist, organizer, and radio show host Xanthra Phillipa MacKay. It’s a devastating loss to our community. Without the work of Xanthra and Mirha-Soleil, Toronto’s trans community would not exist as it is today. Her work as an early transfeminist zinester and video artist paved the way for future generations.

Here’s a write up about some of her groundbreaking work:

PSYCHOPATHIA TRANSSEXUALIS is produced and hosted by transsexual writer and activist Xanthra Mackay. Xanthra Mackay has been involved in transsexual politics since the early 90’s. She was the creator of “gendertrash” a radically different political zine for the transsexual community in 1992. She co-created “gendertroublemakers” (1993), a video which explored two transsexual women’s sexualities on their own terms.
Xanthra Mackay has been involved with COUNTING PAST 2, Toronto’s annual multi-disciplinary transsexual art festival and is a volunteer at MEAL-TRANS, a weekly meal and resource drop-in for low income and street-active transsexual and transgendered people at the 519 Church Street Community Centre.
Her most recent video “Rupert Remembers” (1999) documents a transsexual man’s remembrance of transsexual activism and spaces in Toronto in the 70’s and the 80’s.

Artist Code: 671