By Jjack

‘Pose’ is an American TV series that I have recently discovered thanks to a friend of mine. It premiered in 2018 on FX and it was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals. The plot is quite easy but the meanings behind it are very intense and important: we are in the New York of the 1980s where the ‘ball’ culture is expanding from the underground culture to stars like Madonna. Balls were created by African-American and Latino LGBTQ+ community in New York City in dedicated ballrooms where they would compete for trophies and personal glory. The series is called ‘Pose’ because they had to practice some dance steps as voguing, and even strike poses in front of a panel of judges. 

The main characters are actually all part of the African-American and Latino LGBTQ+ community and they show how hard their lives were made by hate, bigotry, ignorance and even AIDS, which unfortunately has a fundamental role in the whole series. We can clearly see the difference between the luxurious white lifestyle, e.g. the scenes in and out the Trump Tower, and the life as outcasts of the protagonists. Talking about the characters, my personal favourite is Angel, because of her kindness, and also because she proves to the world how even a trans girl like her can make it in the tough and ‘traditional’ fashion industry. Elektra Abundance is also a powerful figure in the series because she embodies the idea of ‘the mother’ without even realizing it, and also because I simply love her sassy and bossy attitude. By the way every character is well represented and they all have clear and realistic personalities.

There are still problems of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community but things are finally (even if slowly) changing. The US Supreme Court has recently banned employment discrimination for gay or transgender people. It is a huge step for the global community but too many people in too many countries are still considered criminals, or worse mentally ill, just because they love differently. 

I personally think that ‘Pose’ isn’t just a TV series but it is also an opportunity for everyone to be represented and to have a voice, as a transgender or gay person who has to face an old-fashioned society in which women, black people and LGBTQ+ community’s rights are nothing but just started.