Mj Rodriguez has made history in becoming the first trans woman to win ‘Best Actress on Television’ accolade for her role in ‘Pose’ at the Imagen Awards.
The Imagen Awards is an annual event which honours positive representation of Latinx people in the media; it is often referred to as the “Latino Golden Globes” in Hollywood.
Mj Rodriguez is best known for playing the character of Blanca in the acclaimed television show based on New York City’s 1980’s African-American and Latino LGBT+ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene. She is also known for her performance of Angel in a 2011 Off-Broadway production of Rent.
Just your daily reminder that @MjRodriguez7 deserves all the awards @PoseOnFX #PoseFX pic.twitter.com/2eA6lwWImt
— Louise Ashley (@EncycLOUpedia_) June 20, 2019
Rodriguez acknowledged the historic nature of her win during her acceptance speech: ”It’s so crazy to be standing up here because you’d never think in a million years you’d get an award like this being a woman like me.
“This is for the little kids like me […], and I’m just trying to speak as much as I can for my community as possible, and that goes for my Latino community.”
On her Twitter, Rodriguez frequently brings attention to the struggle of trans and Latinx actors:
“I’ve always been the underdog. Black, Latina, and a woman, so all of the odds are stacked against me. Even in small sectors of my community, that’s nothing new. But I know one thing: It will not waver or deter my destiny, which is to change this world with love […] I shall keep pushin’ forward!”
This is how I felt today and most of the time. I implore each and everyone of you to be honest with yourself and also to uplift others and yourself when needed. We are enough. You have nothing to prove. Words are powerful simply because they sprout actions. Love yourself! Period pic.twitter.com/iNir9VMJNP
— Michaela Jaé (Mj) (@MjRodriguez7) June 19, 2019
‘Pose’ has made history for having the most trans actors in a television series however no trans stars from the show have received an Emmy nomination. Billy Porter who plays Pray Tell in the hit series is the first openly gay black man to be Emmy nominated for Lead Actor in a Drama Series.
The groundbreaking series has received six nominations in several categories for the Emmy Awards 2019. However, as it stands ‘Orange Is the New Black’ actress Laverne Cox is the only trans woman to receive an Emmy nomination.
© 2019 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.
GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.
comments. Please sign in to comment.