Trans writer, producer, director and activist Janet Mock has penned a thought-provoking op-ed about her experience working on upcoming FX series Pose, created by Glee's Ryan Murphy.
Writing for , Mock reflects on the history-making series, saying it's a much-needed catalyst for the ongoing representation and increased employment of trans actors, writers, producers and directors in the film and television industry - particularly those of colour.
"It was a radical departure from what I had seen on screens," Mock writes, reflecting on her first impression of the Pose screenplay.
She continues: "I grew up the middle of five kids raised by a working single mother. The television served as a babysitter, of sorts."
"I devoured shows as a young viewer, from re-runs of classics like I Love Lucy and Designing Women and soaps like General Hospital and 90210 to ’90s sitcoms like Living Single and Family Matters."
She adds: "I was thoroughly entertained by these shows, but as a black and Native Hawaiian trans girl, I never felt fully reflected."
She continues, highlighting the support and encouragement offered to her by Ryan Murphy: "Murphy then promoted me to producer within weeks of my hiring, and pushed me, despite my own trepidation, to direct episode six of our first season."
Mock adds that Murphy took "a back seat" throughout the course of production, using the show as an opportunity "to champion the communities our show represents".
RECOMMENDED
Janet Mock and the complexity of speaking up
While she acknowledges that her role on the show has been historic in its own right, Mock insists she has bigger goals for the project - namely, to inspire others to pursue the telling of their own stories.
"Though my writing, producing and directing in this space may be deemed the first, I hope it won’t be the only – or the last," she writes.
"Our show is just a beginning – a catalyst that hopefully inspires others, who haven’t been reflected, to embark on creating their own mirrors."
You can watch the trailer for Pose below:
