Pose on FX and its Effect -- A Mother's POV

Pose on fx and its effect – A mother’s point of view

How knowledgeable were you about the gay/trans community growing up?

I wasn’t, unfortunately...But you gave me knowledge and helped me understand.

What have you learned now?

There is so much to it. It is bigger than what I thought I knew. To the language, to the different groups within the community.

[ the ballroom community?]

No – to being gay. Growing up, gay was gay [men and women] but there are so many different orientations. Because I don’t understand fully, please don’t take my words wrong but knowing that there’s—hmm I don’t know the word. The group who just loves, they love whoever loves them.

Like different pronouns? things like that?

Right, so knowing all this and wondering, “does it apply to everyone?” You never know, so it’s so much to learn. It’s like having a book. After watching Pose, I learned from that one episode [Episode 2] that it is different, when you are transgender, the gay guys don’t like you or you aren’t in the group. So, there are like little groups within the group.

So, how do you think this will benefit other parents or other people like you, who didn’t know?

You know what, I can only speak for me because not everyone is open-minded. So, you have to be openminded and know that people are people, no matter what gender or what they identify as– you just gotta roll with it or not roll with it at all.

Who are your favorite characters?

Blanca. Just because she is a mother compared to [Elektra]. Blanca is the helper, the real nurturer who wants to make sure everyone is good and where they want to be compared to Elektra, who just used everyone as a stepping stone. But that is real life.

What has been your favorite moment of season one?

I want to say – and this will probably be a weird one but when they went to get tested and Pray Tell had to go through his emotions of saying he was negative when he was positive. He saw the younger boys were excited about being negative and this is my interpretation--he didn’t want to rain on their parade {Episode 4]. Then in the last episode, for him to take a chance and say, “Hey I need to tell you something – I'm positive”. And the guy saying, “You aren’t the first guy I’ve been with that tested positive” so it was still a light for him because he begun to shut down [Episode 8]. I think I want to add him in there as my favorite character as well.

What do you like about the show as a whole?

The ballroom categories because I would never be able to come up with an idea of what – how to dress for a category. It’s a whole different language within in itself and I think that’s what make the show great because for someone like me, who has little knowledge, it makes it inviting. It stimulates the brain to say “oh my gosh” and not just that – I want to vogue and I want to pose. Pose! Pose! Pose! I want to add that into my everyday dance steps because it’s cool.

Pose on FX recently wrapped up its first season. Pose highlights the ballroom scene in the 1980’s and features moving stories from trans women and gays in New York City.