Pose is the TV Series Queer and Trans People of Color Deserve
June 4, 2018The new FX original series Pose is as “for us, by us” as it gets for trans women of color navigating today’s climate of visibility and awareness. With an assemblage of trans actresses in the cast, as well as best-selling trans author Janet Mock and seasoned trans TV writer and producer Our Lady J working behind-the-scenes, the latest show from Ryan Murphy bequeaths audiences with a chance to see multiple trans women characters played and written by trans women. And these characters aren’t just one-dimensional side chicks, sidekicks, or fantasies — they’re also sisters, mothers, and saviors to the people around them.
The queer musical dance series takes place in the 1980s, and is centered around the acrimonious relationship between ball houses Abundance and Evangelista in an ode to the legendary rivalries of Shakespearean lore. At the core of this battle is newly-minted Mother of the Evangelistas, Blanca Rodriguez (MJ Rodriguez), who boldly breaks free from beneath the tyrannical thumb of Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson) to step into her own leadership.