Anania

Anania Williams, sometimes known mononymously as Anania, is an internet personality, performance artist, and host of the digital quiz show Gaydar.

Early life and education Anania grew up in Davenport, Iowa. In 2022, Anania completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater with a minor in social justice at Emerson College. Anania is genderqueer and trans and uses they/she pronouns. They have stated that the harassment stems from the fact that she does not meet the standard of a "very specific, stereotypical, western, white, skinny type of trans person". That year they moved to New York.

By the end of 2020, Anania had signed with a talent management company. In July 2021, Anania had about 2 million followers on TikTok; by September 2025, they had 2.4 million. Anania was recognized on the 2024 INTO "25 Under 25" list which stated: "As a Black queer influencer and drag artist, they never shy away from the difficult issues facing queer folks — but their sense of humor is top-notch, too."

Gaydar Mutuals Media, a digital media network, recruited Anania as the host for their new show that aimed to be both funny and educational. Anania concluded he is straight but "one of the good ones" and told their viewers to vote for him. By the time the election was held the following month, the video had gone viral, receiving 2.5 million views. The episode has been cited in articles about Mamdani's successful use of social media to market his campaign.

Gaydar is posted to social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube In June 2025, Lucy Dacus gave Anania the fictional "Women in STEM Award for Advancements in Gaydar Technology" as part of a THEM magazine project.

Theater Anania performs in musical theater. One reviewer called them "magnetic". In Fall 2025, they played Heaven in a New York Theater Workshop production of Saturday Church, a musical about an outreach program for queer youth. She referred to the show as "queer, Black joy". Anania has referred to themself as "more than a drag queen" and "an actor that does drag".