Zan Gibbs grew up in Montreal, Quebec before moving to Washington, DC when she was 13. She was introduced to the Riot Grrrl movement in the early 1990s in DC via the punk rock music scene. She attended her first Riot Grrrl meeting at the Positive Force house when she was 16, and remained active in the movement for over 5 years. At 18 she moved to Vancouver BC, and with her already extensive zine collection she began the Canadian version of Riot Grrrl Press, distributing zines through the mail throughout Canada, while Riot Grrrl Press USA handled the distribution everywhere else.

When Gibbs was 22 she moved to Portland Oregon, and focused on starting a queer youth drop-in center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth 24 and under. She helped found and then worked at that at-risk youth center for 12 years, and earned a bachelors degree in social work. She currently works with low-income adults in subsidized housing, and is considering getting a master's degree in public health.