“Pose” went out with a bang Tuesday, earning a history-making Emmy nomination for star Mj Rodriguez — making her the first transgender performer to earn a nomination in a lead acting category. (Laverne Cox previously was nominated for her work on “Orange Is the New Black” in the guest acting category.)
Rodriguez plays Blanca, the mother of the House of Evangelista, in the FX series about New York’s LGBTQ ballroom scene amid the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and early ’90s. The series’ third season was its last.
In May, Rodriguez told The Times, “With seeing all of these things that Blanca had to go through personally, mentally, and to see her come out on top, every trans woman needs that. Every trans woman needs to see something that is obtainable and reachable…. And also, for the trans women who are from back in the day, who have been strong, uplifting mothers, to see the work of raising strong and powerful and resilient children, that’s the best gift that you could ever receive as a mother.”
In the same piece, her Emmy-winning co-star Billy Porter said, “We’ve watched her grow up. … She became a woman in front of our very eyes. She transitioned from being a young adult woman to being a full-fledged woman. And it’s amazing.”
Rodriguez joins an impressive field of lead actress nominees, including three-time Emmy winner Uzo Aduba (“In Treatment”), Oscar winner Olivia Colman and co-star Emma Corrin (“The Crown”), previous winner Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) and Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country”).
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.