Louder Than Lips: Jamie Pandit + Sean Anthony On Pride, Purpose & the Power Of VIVA GLAM

This Pride Month, M·A·C Canada is turning up the volume on visibility and impact with its 2025 VIVA GLAM initiative—an all-giveback campaign where 100% of lipstick sales support organizations advancing equal rights and healthier futures. At the heart of this year’s campaign are two Canadian changemakers: Jamie Pandit, a trans advocate and digital creator whose story comes full circle with M·A·C, and Sean Anthony, a beauty creator using his platform to uplift and empower trans youth.

In this special double Q&A, Jamie and Sean open up about representation, resilience, and how beauty can be a vehicle for bold, meaningful change. —Noa Nichol

Jamie Pandit, @justjamiep

Your journey with M·A·C began over 20 years ago during your transition—what does it mean to you now to be the face of this year’s VIVA GLAM campaign?

Being the face of M·A·C’s VIVA GLAM Campaign is huge, as 20 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined that this would be the result of my decision to buy and wear makeup at the local M·A·C counter. It was the first time I saw people who were “different”; breaking the mold and gender norms by wearing makeup and expressing exactly who they are through it. When I started transitioning at 16, I did not see anybody who was a visual or physical representation of who I am. Nor did I have a roadmap or a survival guide on how to show up confidently and authentically in the world. Due to this, I often had limiting beliefs about myself and the opportunities I could have in life.

Since coming out publicly in 2020 and becoming an influencer, working with M·A·C on social media campaigns was already a goal I thought I would never achieve. But then, to become a VIVA GLAM ambassador not just as a content creator but as a South Asian and transgender woman is beyond my wildest dreams. To be that role model for little Jamies out there and to show others that it is possible to not just exist, but to also thrive, is something I do not take lightly. I am extremely proud of that little kid who bravely decided to be themselves.

You’ve spoken openly about experiencing homelessness as a teen. How does M·A·C’s partnership with Fred Victor resonate with your lived experiences?

I started exploring my beauty at home in secret at first. At 16, when I was living in a shelter in Toronto, finding beauty products or garments after rummaging through donation bags in many ways protected me, because it created a sense of safety and made me feel confident to survive my reality. It became my armour that helped me show up as myself, feel aligned with my identity, and “pass” (although I wish that wasn’t a requirement). It helped me move forward, getting through one day at a time. The partnership with Fred Victor is so important because so many 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals experience homelessness due to so many factors like housing issues, being abandoned, or not feeling safe with family. M·A·C supporting organizations like this through VIVA GLAM is so crucial in ensuring that queer people are receiving long lasting and positive support for a healthy future.

What role has beauty and self-expression played in your identity as a trans woman and digital creator?

Beauty has been a huge part of my transition and my identity, and self-expression. After losing my job due to the pandemic in 2020, I finally decided to pursue a career in content creation, doing something that not only do I love, but that also brings social awareness, education, and change for the communities I belong to. Exploring my beauty and, in many ways, revealing my own beauty through content has helped me find joy, a community, and most importantly, myself. Being brave enough to share parts of myself through beauty has helped me realize there is no “standard of beauty”. We don’t need to define it or put ourselves in a box. We are all beautiful in our own way, and we deserve to express that fully.

This campaign supports Rainbow Railroad, an organization that’s close to your heart. Why is their mission so personally important to you?

I was born in Bangladesh and moved to Canada at 11. I didn’t even know that the word “transgender” existed back in my home country, and certainly could not imagine what my life would’ve been like had I decided to transition, or if I even would’ve come out publicly to live authentically as myself. Rainbow Railroad helps 2SLGBTQIA+ people experiencing persecution and violence to escape their home countries to safety. It is criminal to be queer in most parts of the world, including in Western societies. Funding has been drastically reduced to support the community in the US and Canada. Although I’m a survivor, I will never forget my roots or where I come from, and it means so much to me that VIVA GLAM is pledging to donate $75K CAD to Rainbow Railroad in supporting their efforts to help queer refugees and asylum seekers.

As a Bangladeshi-Canadian advocate, what message do you hope this campaign sends to young 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals navigating their own identities today?

In a world that makes us feel like 2SLGBTQIA+ people do not belong, I am so proud to be that role model and inspire others who are like me and look like me. This VIVA GLAM campaign is for all queer and South Asian people out there to know that their dreams can become reality. I hope they can see themselves in me, to know that it is possible. I hope they know that the thing that makes them unique and different is also their superpower. Use that light to carve your path.

Sean Anthony, @seananthonyv

As a Filipino-Canadian beauty creator, how does it feel to represent VIVA GLAM and continue the legacy of this iconic, Canadian-born campaign?

I feel incredibly honoured to represent VIVA GLAM and MAC. As a young gay boy who grew up in the Philippines, MAC was my introduction to artistry. Seeing creativity, inclusivity come together deeply inspired me. My home country Philippines, deals with immense HIV cases due to lack of sex education and support from the government. VIVA GLAM means so much because it’s changing the world and ending stigmas.

Skipping Stone’s Youth Empowerment Program is a key partner this year—why is youth-focused advocacy important to you personally?

I believe empowering youth especially queer youth is incredibly important. When I think of my younger self, I wish I had resources like Skipping Stone to give me guidance and sense of belonging. Also as someone who lived in Calgary, Alberta, I know the struggles of youth queer in the province. I know what it’s like to grow up feeling like you have to hide parts of yourself to be safe or accepted. When I was younger, I didn’t see many people who looked like me or shared my experiences being celebrated, supported, or even represented. That kind of invisibility can be isolating and sometimes dangerous.

That’s why I believe in empowering 2SLGBTQ+ youth early. Programs like Skipping Stone’s give young people what many of us didn’t have: community, confidence, and a sense that they’re not alone. Supporting them means creating a world where they don’t just survive they thrive, unapologetically and authentically.

Your content blends artistry and activism. How do you use beauty as a tool for visibility and empowerment?

For me, beauty is more than just makeup it’s a language. As a Filipino gay man, I grew up in a world that often tried to define what beauty should look like, and it rarely looked like me. So when I create content, I’m not just showcasing a look, I’m making a statement. 

Every brushstroke is a reclaiming of space, every transformation is a celebration of identity. Through my artistry, I challenge stereotypes, highlight queer and BIPOC joy, and show others especially young people who feel unseen that there’s power in being exactly who you are. Beauty becomes a mirror, a message, and a movement all at once.

M·A·C has pledged 100% of VIVA GLAM sales to global charities—what does that kind of tangible, ongoing commitment mean to you?

It means everything. As a Filipino, I’ve seen firsthand how the HIV crisis continues to impact our communities, especially young queer people. The Philippines has one of the fastest growing HIV infection rates in the world, and the stigma around it is still so strong that many suffer in silence or never get the care they need.

M·A·C’s ongoing VIVA GLAM commitment isn’t just charity, it’s solidarity. It’s putting real resources behind communities that are too often ignored. Knowing that every lipstick sold supports life saving programs, education, and healthcare gives me hope. It’s a reminder that beauty can do more than inspire. it can protect, uplift, and save lives.

What do you hope people take away from this campaign—not just about makeup, but about community, inclusion, and giving back?

I want people to see that this is bigger than a lipstick. it’s about legacy. As a queer Filipino immigrant, I grew up with big dreams in a world that told me to shrink. I used to play with makeup in secret, hoping one day I’d see someone like me out loud unapologetic, visible, powerful. That little boy deserved to know his face, his story, his existence mattered. This campaign is for him and for everyone like him still fighting to be seen.

It’s also a call to action. HIV is still a crisis in places like the Philippines, and too many lives are lost not just to the virus, but to silence, shame, and systems that fail us. So yeah buying a lipstick might seem small. But when it funds testing, education, and care? That’s not just makeup. That’s resistance. That’s survival. That’s representation with a purpose.