‘Pose’ Star Mj Rodriquez Scripts History As First Trans Actor With Lead Emmy Nomination
History has been made, with the first trans actor to be recognised in a major Emmy category for her role in Pose. Mj Rodriquez was nominated for an Emmy on Tuesday for her role as lead actress in a drama series – the first trans performer to be nominated in a major category in the history of the Awards.
Rodriguez will join that exclusive list of LGBTQI+ performers to be nominated for major Emmys such as Laverne Cox, Wanda Sykes, Cherry Jones, Yance Ford and Ellen Degeneres.
Honoured for her role in the series as house mother Blanca, in the third and final season Rodriguez has been the steadily beating heart and soul of FX’s trailblazing LGBTQ drama Pose.
Blanca’s heart got a well-deserved reward in the form of new boyfriend Christopher and Rodriguez shows us a tender, sexy side. But Blanca’s first priority is always her children, and we marvelled at Rodriguez’s quiet strength as Blanca kept her kids in line with a blend of warm affection and tough love.
‘I felt seen’
Rodriquez told AP News that she now “felt represented and I felt seen,” and that her colleagues and acting colleagues “see me”. Actor Billy Porter, has also been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series – this is the actor’s third nomination for his role as Pray Tell in Pose.
Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO pointed out that Rodriquez’s nomination was a historic one for trans performers in Hollywood.
“Rodriguez’s Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is a breakthrough for transgender women in Hollywood, and a long-overdue recognition for her groundbreaking performance over the past three seasons of Pose,” Ellis said in a statement.
“Additionally, the show’s nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as Billy Porter’s third nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, mark a historic show that undoubtedly raised the bar for trans representation on television and changed the way viewers around the world understand the trans community,” added Ellis.
The Queer Emmys
The Pose stars will not be the only member from the rainbow community to make the list of Emmy nominees.
Other nominees include Bowen Yang – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on Saturday Night Live is the first time a “featured” player has earned the nod in the show’s 46- year history, SNL’s Dan Levy landed a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series and Kate McKinnon, who earned the nod for Supporting Actress. SNL will have some competition taking home the Emmy against out actors Hannah Einbinder and Carl Clemons-Hopkins, who have been nominated for their roles in Hack.
Another magnificent nominee for their role in The Crown, queer non-binary actor Emma Corrin for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and bisexual icon Gillian Anderson for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Anderson will compete with out actor Samira Wiley, who is nominated for her role in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Hoping to yodel his way to an Emmy, Jonathan Groff has been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his role as King George in Hamilton. Cynthia Erivo, who is also well-known for her incredible pipes, has been nominated for Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her turn in Genius: Aretha.
Someone else who is not dragging his way along on television, RuPaul Charles has been nominated for the sixth time in a row for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program for RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness were all nominated as the hosts of Queer Eye, which also got the nod for Outstanding Structured Reality Program. Capping things off, RuPaul’s Drag Race Untucked has been nominated for best Unstructured Reality Program.
The awards will be presented on 20th of September 2021 and all of us from Star Observer, wish all our rainbow talent the best and WIN!
