We’re Still Shook: Tens Across the Board for the First Season of Pose

by HRC Staff

Is it time for season two yet? We have been glued to the edges of our seats each Sunday night to watch “Pose,” Ryan Murphy’s latest television series on FX.

Post submitted by former HRC Digital Media Manager Helen Parshall

Is it time for season two yet? We have been glued to the edges of our seats each Sunday night to watch “Pose,” Ryan Murphy’s latest television series on FX.

Pose is set in New York City, juxtaposing the house/ball scene against the tumultuous political and social climate of the 1980s. The show is anchored in many real stories and experiences of LGBTQ people -- including its own cast and crew.

“It’s like a history lesson,” said MJ Rodriguez, who plays Blanca, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “To see what we had to go through in 1987 and how we persevered, which is one of the reasons why a lot of us are here today and able to do shows like this.”

One of the most emotional performances of the season -- Rodriguez and Billy Porter’s performance at the AIDS cabaret -- was inspired by a conversation between Porter and show creators Ryan Murphy and Steven Canals about Porter’s experiences in the 80s and early 90s.

But it’s not just about telling the histories of our movement -- Pose is making revolutionary history of its own.

The show features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, as well as the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever for a scripted series. Pose is helmed by a cast and crew of queer and transgender trailblazers including HRC honorees Angelica Ross and Billy Porter, Janet Mock, MJ Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Steven Canals.

And earlier this season, Janet Mock became the first transgender woman of color to both write, produce and direct for a major network television show with “Love is the Message.”

At its heart, Pose is a show about family, showing the ways that we can build and choose a community that loves and values us for exactly who we are.

We won’t spoil the end of the finale but we’re certain of one thing: if love is a house, Pose on FX has the key.