People We Love 2018: The Creative Team Behind “Pose”

The category is ’80s Ballroom Realness! To celebrate Pose, Metrosource spoke to Janet Mock, series producer and director, and Steven Canals, series co-executive producer and writer. Pose is a love letter and memorial to all those who’ve survived and paved a way for us today. Our show is a period piece and portrait of many LGBTQ people, particularly of color, who struggled and strived through the 1980s, a time when folk were navigating poverty, rejection, HIV/AIDS and of course bias – which people are still navigating today,” said Mock.

“Pose has become a sanctuary for Queer & Trans People of Color (QTPOC) who have never seen themselves represented in mainstream media. After decades of marginalization in film and television, QTPOC are finally at the center of their own story. For eight weeks this summer we laughed and cried together, and shaded one another! They welcomed us into their homes, lived tweeted with the cast and writers, and made us a word of mouth hit. We are forever grateful for their commitment to us and promise to continue telling their stories in a nuanced way,” said Canals.

Moving forward, says Mock, “I hope Pose is a mirror that enables our community to see themselves, their forebears and their families celebrated and centered in ways they’ve never seen before. I hope our characters feel like family members to them and the show as-a-whole feels like an affirmation and an embrace.”

Canals added, “I hope that Pose continues to be a safe space for all LGBTQ+ people to feel seen and heard. At its core, the show is about family and we want LGBTQ+ people to realize that even if you’ve experienced rejection you will find your tribe. I also hope that audiences recognize that there is value in living authentically. It is essential for LGBTQ+ people to hear that their lived experience, voice, and hopes & dreams, matter.”

“Co-creator Ryan Murphy has donated all of his Pose profits to various LGBTQ+ organizations who are on the frontline doing important work, like the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, Callen-Lorde and Destination Tomorrow, to name a few. I encourage folks to research these organizations,” said Canals.

On the subject of community activism, Mock also noted, “I love the work of Raquel Willis and her program, Black Trans Circles, which focuses on healing justice and violence prevention for Black trans women in areas with high rates of violence and murder.”