KEEPING IT REAL
RYAN Murphy’s eight-episode summer series “Pose” introduces us to the seldom explored world of drag balls frequented by trans women. Memoirist Janet Mock, 35, joined the show’s writing staff largely on the strength of her book, the bestselling “Redefining Realness,” which detailed her coming out as a trans woman in 2011 after funding the medical transition by earning money as a sex worker in her teens. She spoke to The Post about the show’s mission, promising that you will fall in love with characters such as Blanca and Angel, who are played by trans actors M.J. Rodriguez and Indya Moore respectively.
Did your experience influence any of the story arcs for the trans characters?
It heavily influenced the story with the character of Angel. A lot of my own experience of trying to find love in a society that wasn’t offering me any social safety nets is there.
This story is set in 1987, a few years after you were born. As you did your research on that period of life in New York City, what surprised you?
What surprised me is not a lot has changed for those communities. LGBT men and trans women of color are still grappling with HIV/AIDS. I don’t think we have fully gone to acceptance in New York today.
“Pose” deals frankly and graphically with some of the sexual issues faced by the trans characters in their relationships with straight, white men (played by Evan Peters and Christopher Meloni). Do you think American audiences are ready to hear those conversations?
I think they’re so ready. What does it mean to share these trans bodies with the people that they love? How is the female in these communities seen? The audience will have fallen in love with these characters by then.
In the first two episodes we see incidents of theft and vandalism by the trans characters with no repercussions. Are you concerned that the show might be sending the wrong message here — that as long as the crime serves the cause, it’s OK?
I don’t think so. In the pilot, they were arrested [for stealing the costumes from the museum] because of the embarrassment of being hoodwinked by these kind of people. They do things that on paper are criminal, but white-collar criminals were committing their own crimes. Part of what we’re creating is partly fantasy. People are fully invested in their world and want them to win.
How do you think “Pose” will be received?
I hope it resonates with people. I hope that viewers see themselves in the journey of these characters. That they care about their experience and learn through entertainment about folks who’ve always been marginalized and now finally are taking center stage.
Do you have a favorite character?
Blanca. She makes you cry in every episode. I do believe she is the bleeding, bursting heart of the show. She gets me every single time.