Chris Phipps was born November 1, 1959 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was homeschooled until the age of 12, when he went to boarding school in New England. After graduating high school in 1977, he moved to California and came out as gay. Phipps stopped attending college for a few years to regain his social life, but he returned and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Utah in 1986.

Tamara Pickett was born Terry Lee Pickett. As a male, he served as a soldier in the United States Army. Terry finished her transition to Tamara with sexual reassignment surgery in 1996. As Tamara, she is known for her activism in Las Vegas, Nevada, especially her successful campaign for better health care provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for transgender veterans. She was also involved with the Nevada Gender League and The Turnabouts, a transgender support group in Las Vegas.

Source: