This "Pose" Storyline Is Being Praised For Tackling Racism And Transphobia In The LGBTQ+ Community

13 June 2018, 12:36

By Sam Prance

This is so important.

If you're not watching Pose yet, what are you doing? The brand new Ryan Murphy series about 80s ball culture in New York is one of the standout shows of the year so far. And it's not just receiving praise for its brilliant script and acting. Pose stars FIVE trans women of colour, it's written by trans women and it features storylines that have never been aired on TV before.

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The second episode of the show premiered on Sunday and it's safe to say that viewers loved it just as much as the first. Not only did it lay the foundations for a new romance between two black men (we ship Damon and Ricky) but it also contained a brilliant frank gay sex talk between Blanca (a trans woman and ball house mother) and Damon (her gay house son).

That's not all though. The thing that caught viewers' attention most was the fact that it didn't shy away from the transphobia and racism that (still) exists within the gay community. In the episode, Blanca attempts to buy a drink at a popular gay bar and she is kicked out. She then tries to stand her ground and go again but is physically beaten because of it.

Pose (FX) First Look Trailer - Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek series

Sadly this scenario was all too common then and it is still all too common now (many gays bars reject women even though trans women helped fight for the rights that we have today). The most harrowing part of the episode was the fact that all of the white gay men around Blanca in the bar ignore what happens to her. They passively engage in racism and transphobia.

Viewers were quick to tweet about how great the episode was.

Some were impressed with how quickly the show is tackling transphobia in the LGBTQIA+ community.

This series is not messing around.

Others took the episode as a lesson to cisgender gay men.

We can all do better.

A few people were quick to note how important it is that the series doesn't ignore racism within the LGBTQIA+ community.

It is so vital that these stories are heard.

One or two fans even lauded the show for essentially giving us a lesson in racism in US gay bar history.

This is essential knowledge.

A couple of viewers were even keen to stress how this racism and transphobia is not just a thing of the past.

It's time that we address the transphobia and racism that exists around us.

And then there were those who are just emotional about how much amazing content Pose is providing us with.

This show is so necessary. We cannot wait to see more.