(DOOR OPENS)
(FOOTFALLS APPROACH)
PRAY TELL: The category is...
Live...
Work...
Pose!
♪♪
(SINGSONGY): Hey, everybody!
Billy Porter here... aka Pray Tell.
And this year we are celebrating
the th anniversary of the Pride march.
And we wanted to, um,
celebrate with you guys
by coming into your homes,
given the current times this year.
Although we've come
a long way since
and the Stonewall riots,
we must continue to fight for justice.
- So the cast of Pose...
- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)
- What's up?
- Oh, my God.
... are all here for a worthy cause
to raise money for the
Hetrick-Martin Institute,
House Lives Matter,
the Transgender Legal
Defense & Education Fund...
and GLSEN.
So...
I'm gonna need you
to open up your purses
and get those coins out, darlings.
Learn more about these
great charities and donate.
Just go to Poseathon.com
for more information.
We are very excited to
celebrate with you guys.
It's the th anniversary
of Pride, y'all!
So let's give.
Work!
Pose!
Let's share our stories, our talent,
and most importantly, our pride.
(SINGERS HARMONIZING)
♪ Good morn or evening, friends ♪
♪ Here's your friendly announcer ♪
♪ I have serious news to pass on ♪
♪ To everybody ♪
♪ What I'm about to say ♪
♪ Could mean the world's disaster ♪
♪ Could change your joy and laughter ♪
♪ To tears and pain ♪
♪ It's that love's ♪
♪ In need ♪
♪ Of love today ♪
♪ Don't delay ♪
♪ Send yours in right away ♪
♪ Hate's goin' round ♪
♪ Breakin' many hearts ♪
♪ Stop it, please ♪
♪ Before it's gone too far ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
(HARMONIZING)
♪ Whoa, whoa ♪
♪ Whoa... ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ The force of evil plans ♪
♪ To make you its possession ♪
♪ And it will if we let it ♪
♪ Destroy everybody ♪
♪ We all must take ♪
♪ Precautionary measures ♪
♪ If love and peace you treasure ♪
♪ Then hear me when I say ♪
- ♪ Whoa, whoa, that love's ♪
- ♪ Love ♪
♪ Love's in need ♪
♪ Of love today ♪
♪ Don't delay ♪
♪ Send yours in right away ♪
♪ Hate's goin' round ♪
- ♪ Breakin' many hearts ♪
- ♪ Breakin' hearts ♪
♪ Stop it, please ♪
♪ Before it's gone too far ♪
♪ Love's in need ♪
♪ Of love today ♪
♪ Did you ever think that love ♪
♪ Would be in need of love today? ♪
♪ Don't delay ♪
♪ Send yours in right away ♪
♪ Ooh, oh, hey ♪
- ♪ Hate's goin' round ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ Just bring it down a little ♪
- ♪ Breaking hearts ♪
♪ Love is very peaceful ♪
♪ Let's bring it down a little ♪
- ♪ Stop it, please ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ Gone too far ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Just give the world ♪
♪ Love. ♪
(LAUGHS)
I have come to understand Pride
for myself as being able
to actually not leave
pieces of yourself behind,
to have pride in all of your
intersectional identities.
That's something I learned
from my sister Janet Mock
in her book Surpassing Certainty.
But I'm still working.
Pride to me means
standing in your truth,
knowing exactly who you are,
knowing that your existence on
this earth is more than enough,
no matter what anyone says.
It's also standing up
for the rights of others
who have been put
down for so many years.
It's also about seeking truth.
To me, Pride...
means joy, means love,
means family,
means... acceptance,
but all within yourself.
And being able to feel that joy,
that acceptance, that love,
and be able to show it out to the world,
because you're proud from within.
Right now, we have the floor.
Right now, we are
coming together as one.
Let's continue to uplift one another.
Let's continue to fight
for the cause of love,
equality for all black lives,
including women of color,
trans women of color,
and all black lives of every facet.
Pride for me means so many things.
It means love, it means acceptance,
it means family.
It means choosing your
truth over your safety.
It's...
understanding that your trauma
is not your responsibility,
but your healing is.
And also it's a call to action.
You know, to be proud, to be happy,
to be seen, to be heard,
and to be valued.
And for that, specifically for that,
it is needed more now than
ever before in this world.
And I think we're all still working
on creating a world that we're proud of,
creating a society that we're proud of.
And it starts by being
proud of ourselves,
by being proud of who we are
and how we show up in the world.
What Pride means to me is the
pride I have in my identity,
the pride that I have in my community,
and knowing that my
pride comes from a history
of pioneers that allowed me
to be prideful of who I am.
Those q*eer pioneers
that, you know, paved the way, rioted
into... into the freedom
that I am able to enjoy now,
and I get to pass that
on to my chosen family.
Pride to me means loving
everything about yourself,
even when people are telling
you that you shouldn't.
It's about freedom.
It's about us recognizing...
that everyone's beautiful
in their own way.
And everyone needs to be respected,
because we're not all the same.
To be the same would make us so boring.
Imagine a world without people
in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Gosh. How boring.
I am Pride.
That's what Pride means to me.
It's me.
It's all of my passion, all of my pain,
all of my anger, all
of my happy, all my joy
wrapped up in this tapestry
and fierceness, darling,
which is love,
family, joy
and remembrance and action.
Disney Television
Studios and FX are going
to be giving $ ,
between the Hetrick-Martin Institute,
the Transgender Legal
Defense & Education Fund,
and GLSEN.
And we hope that you can donate, too,
by following the links
that we will be providing
throughout this hour.
During my entire life,
the legitimacy of my
existence was challenged,
and it continues to be today.
Ever since I can remember,
my body has always been at
the center of controversy.
Before I even understood sex,
people were already having discussions
about who I was and wasn't
supposed to sleep with,
and who I was and wasn't.
Of course, I never had a
say in those discussions
until I was and decided to speak out.
My freedom is at mercy
to political debate
and the opinions of a majority
who have never even met
a q*eer or trans person.
This entire dynamic,
this entire reality
has negatively impacted my self-worth,
my confidence, my ability to dream,
my health, my safety.
This is the experience
of countless trans and q*eer people
all over America, and even more so
for q*eer and trans people
who are black and brown.
Over time, I was lucky to
make friends and meet people
who affirmed my humanity
and helped me to understand
how truly precious my life is.
And they helped me
to develop a healthy
relationship with my identity.
My transness and my queerness
and my blackness are not things
I should be ashamed
of or try to minimize.
In fact, I learned that
these are all things
that I should be proud
of and I should maximize.
Since then, I've chosen to nurture
and grow my sense of pride for myself,
for the parts of me I'm made
to feel less than for having,
and for my community.
That pride I carry ever so loudly
in all that I do and say and am.
My pride isn't just
renewal and resistance.
It's self-preservation.
Go to FXNetworks.com/Poseathon,
and please donate to GLSEN,
the Hetrick-Martin Institute,
as well as the Transgender
Legal Defense & Education Fund.
Pose is among the
greatest gifts in my life.
I am so honored to write,
to direct and to produce on this show
and to make history alongside
this historic ensemble.
Um, as the first black trans woman
to be able to write and
direct an episode of television
and to be one of the
leading voices on this show
has been a great honor of my life.
I would not, though, be able
to do the work that I do today
if it wasn't for the work
and the sacrifices of our forebears,
the people who came before us,
who fought for our
rights toward equality.
Um, I think that Pride
really should be about commemorating
the Stonewall riots,
where it was black and brown,
trans and q*eer and
gender nonconforming folk
who put their bodies on the line
to say that they did not
want to be policed anymore.
They didn't want to be
surveillanced anymore.
They didn't want to be incarcerated
for being who they are
and loving who they love.
And, so, on this day,
I hope that you feel
prideful about that legacy,
about Marsha P. Johnson and
Stormé and Sylvia Rivera
and all of the countless
and nameless folk
who put their bodies on the line for us.
Today, I am proud to be a
part of a legacy of a series
that picks up where they left off.
For the first time in history,
we get to see black and
brown LGBTQ characters
in their full glory,
together in community,
in love, in support,
really uplifting the
power of chosen family.
And, so, I'm proud that
Disney as well as FX
are supporting the groundbreaking work
of Hetrick-Martin Institute, GLSEN,
Transgender Legal
Defense & Education Fund,
and so many more powerful organizations.
On this Pride, I hope that you celebrate
the fact that you are a blessing,
that nothing is wrong with you,
and that you're deserving of everything,
of every single little thing
that this world has to offer.
Happy Pride.
Hey, Pose fam.
Steven Canals here,
cocreator and executive
producer of Pose,
and I'd like to give you a brief history
of the Stonewall uprising.
Picture it.
Christopher Street, summer of .
Police raid
the Stonewall Inn, a bar located
in New York's Greenwich Village.
At the time, it was
still illegal to be gay,
and h*m* was still
viewed as a mental disorder.
Stonewall was one of the very few spaces
for q*eer and trans people.
Now, police raids were
pretty common back then.
Bars were seen as
"disorderly environments",
if you can believe it.
It was a Saturday, June the th, ,
at around : in the morning
when several officers
stepped foot into the Stonewall.
And the patrons had had enough,
officially.
NYPD were not expecting
the patrons of the bar to fight back,
but I am so glad that they did.
That rebellion spanned six days,
and it ultimately catalyzed
America's gay liberation movement.
Over the years, there have been
varying reports about
what ultimately sparked
the rebellion.
Some say it was a brick
thrown by Marsha P. Johnson.
Others believe it was
a Molotov cocktail flung
by Sylvia Rivera.
It's all legend now,
and we'll probably never
really know the exact truth.
What I can say with certainty
is that black and Latinx
trans and q*eer women
were at the forefront of the rebellion,
and if it weren't for
all those brave souls
who fought back at Stonewall,
the LGBTQ+ community
wouldn't have been launched
into this new era of resistance.
Now, the first q*eer
activist organization formed
after the Stonewall uprising,
and they called themselves
the Gay Liberation Front.
And the GLF actually organized
the very first Gay Pride march.
They named that first march
the Christopher Street Liberation Day,
and it took place
exactly one year after the uprising.
And we have continued to march
every June as a community
for the past years.
Now, before I go, I should tell you
that q*eer and trans people
have been fighting for liberation
well before the Stonewall uprising.
I encourage you to Google
the Compton's Cafeteria riot
and the Black Cat tavern.
Pride is just a reminder
that we have to continue
to push for liberation.
It's important to mark this time of year
so that the spirit and the fight
for q*eer and trans
liberation isn't forgotten.
In the words of black trans activist
Marsha P. Johnson, as long as gay people
don't have their rights
all across America,
there's no reason for celebration.
("WHAT YOU'D CALL A DREAM" PLAYING)
♪♪
♪ There are two men out ♪
♪ And it's in the ninth ♪
♪ And the score is four to three ♪
♪ There's a man on first ♪
♪ And a man at bat ♪
♪ And the man at bat is me ♪
♪ And I'm sorta scared ♪
♪ And I'm sorta proud ♪
♪ And I'm stronger than I seem ♪
♪ And I take a swing ♪
♪ And my dad is there ♪
♪ And it's what you'd call a dream ♪
♪ For the ball flies to the sun ♪
♪ And it sails off as I run ♪
♪ And all the crowd is roaring ♪
♪ Cheering as I go ♪
♪ So are all of the guys on the team ♪
♪ And I'd run for home ♪
♪ And we'd win the game ♪
♪ And it's what you'd call a dream ♪
♪ And the sun ♪
♪ Shines like diamonds ♪
♪ The summer sun ♪
♪ Shines like diamonds ♪
♪ The summer sun ♪
♪ High in a baseball sky ♪
♪ Shines like diamonds ♪
♪ The summer sun ♪
♪ Shines like diamonds ♪
♪ There are two men out ♪
♪ And it's in the ninth ♪
♪ And the score is four to three ♪
♪ There's a man on first ♪
♪ And a man at bat ♪
♪ And the man at bat is me ♪
♪ And it's what you'd call ♪
♪ A dream. ♪
The word "pride" or "proud"
has been used to assert the worth
and extol the beauty
of marginalized people
who would be led to believe otherwise
from the external messages
of their oppressors.
James Brown shouted in ,
"Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud",
which would become an anthem
and a rally cry for the
black power movement.
And just a year later, in ,
the Stonewall riots birthed
what we now know as Pride.
These movements
are not just linguistically
connected, though.
It's also critical to note that
our q*eer liberation movement
was begun by black
and brown trans women.
However, there is still yet more
that links these fights for freedom
amongst q*eer and black people.
That is the shared
experience of oppression.
I trust that most of
you who have gathered
to watch this today already believe
in equality, liberty
and justice for all,
but as our great forefather
Bayard Rustin said,
"The proof that one truly
believes is in action".
It is up to all of us
to leverage our bodies,
influence, relationships and resources
to change our communities,
families, workplaces,
schools, places of worship,
government and beyond.
You know, q*eer and gender-variant folks
in many historical cultures
were looked to as moral compasses
and spiritual... spiritual
guides for the people.
I say it's time we look beyond ourselves
and take up the torch,
that torch of being
the guides of our people
that our ancestors left for us.
We cannot get comfortable and let up
because we have the
freedoms to marry, adopt,
or are protected in our workplaces.
And while these advancements
are great and so important,
they are not enough.
We must stay agitated.
We must stay vigilant.
We must stay engaged in
the fight for liberation.
Let us be the ones
leading at the front lines
in the fight for all human rights.
Let us be the ones to
point our communities
in the direction of greater empathy
and compassion and love.
Let us be the ones who model
what liberty and justice
for all truly looks like
so that we can lead our
nation into the promised land.
I want to leave you with these words
by Tupac Shakur and Elton John.
"It ain't about black or
white because we're human.
I hope we see the light
before it's ruined".
Let's talk about the Transgender
Legal Defense & Education Fund.
There is no hiding from the fact
that our trans community needs
our support more than ever.
That's why it is so essential
for us to recognize organizations
like the Transgender Legal
Defense & Education Fund,
and become more informed
about the important work they do.
There has never been a more
crucial and necessary time
to take action and rally
behind our transgender family.
The time is now.
Go to FXNetworks.com/Poseathon
and please donate to GLSEN,
the Hetrick-Martin Institute,
as well as the Transgender
Legal Defense & Education Fund.
(SIGHS) Look, I'm tired.
And I know you're tired,
especially those of you
who have been fighting since
the civil rights movement
and the Stonewall riots.
But it is so important
that we never give up.
We have made some progress, but
we've got so much work to do,
especially as we recognize
that there is still anti-blackness
within the LGBTQ community.
We must all say with our whole chest
that not only do black lives matter,
but black trans lives matter.
We must center the most
marginalized in our community.
We must protect those who are, uh...
who are immigrants in our society
and who are being targeted.
We must protect those black femmes
and black q*eer and trans folks
who are being targeted by police.
Police do not belong at Pride.
Because it is the spirit
in which the Stonewall riots started
that we were rebelling against the way
that police were policing
our very existence.
Stop it.
Let's return to the streets
and return to the riot
that Pride started off as.
We got work to do.
Yes, baby, these are real times.
They are raw, revolutionary,
transformational times
here in the midst of a pandemic
and a national revolution
that's going to change everything.
Finally, forever, black lives matter,
trans lives matter.
We're in the midst of it.
We are in the trenches.
And once and for all,
there will be justice
and equality for everyone.
And in the midst of our fabulous
Gay Pride season celebration,
we are going to make it all happen.
But you got to dig deep this year.
You've got to realize
that you've got to get up
every day and hit the streets.
Wear your masks.
Get ready to vote, and vote right.
Flip the Senate.
I know Joe Biden may not be your
first choice, revolutionaries,
but he is going to
bring the best people in.
He will bring in people of color.
He will bring in LGBTQ community
in a really meaningful way.
So, be strong right now, dig deep.
Get up every day and
make something happen
for yourself and the world.
It's time that we transform this country
and get it back, baby,
'cause it's mighty real.
And I love you. Happy Pride.
("HOME" PLAYING)
♪ When I think of home ♪
♪ I think of a place ♪
♪ Where there's love overflowing ♪
♪ I wish I was home, I
wish I was back there ♪
♪ With the things I've been knowing ♪
♪ Wind that makes the tall grass ♪
♪ Bend into leaning ♪
♪ Suddenly the raindrops that fall ♪
♪ They have a meaning ♪
♪ Sprinkling the scene ♪
♪ Makes it all so clean ♪
♪ Maybe there's a chance
for me to go back ♪
♪ Now that I have some direction ♪
♪ It sure would be nice
to be back at home ♪
♪ Where there's love and affection ♪
♪ And just maybe I can
convince time to slow up ♪
♪ Giving me enough time
in my life to grow up ♪
♪ Time, be my friend ♪
♪ And let me start again ♪
♪ Suddenly my world has
gone and changed its face ♪
♪ But I still know where I'm goin' ♪
♪ I have had my mind
spun around in space ♪
♪ And yet I've watched it growing ♪
♪ Oh, if you're listening, God ♪
♪ Please don't make it hard ♪
♪ To know if we should believe
the things that we see ♪
♪ That we see ♪
♪ Tell us should we run away? ♪
♪ Or should we try and stay? ♪
♪ Or would it be ♪
♪ Better just to let things be? ♪
♪ Living here in this brand-new world ♪
♪ Might be a fantasy ♪
♪ But it's taught me to love... ♪
♪ Taught me to love ♪
- ♪ So it's real ♪
- ♪ It's real ♪
- ♪ So it's ♪
- ♪ So it's ♪
♪ So real to me ♪
BOTH: ♪ And I've learned ♪
♪ That we must look inside our hearts ♪
♪ To find ♪
♪ A world full of love ♪
♪ Like yours, like ♪
♪ Mine ♪
♪ Like ♪
♪ Home... ♪
Hello, all.
I have a young friend,
born years ago.
This baby was a bundle
of joy and energy.
At an early age, this child
developed a passion for dance,
particularly the dance
of Bollywood films,
mimicking every step, every leap,
every flourishing twirl. (LAUGHS)
This little one actually memorized
an entire Bollywood film
from start to finish.
Mm-hmm. Amazing.
While still a toddler,
around three years old,
the child had an epiphany,
a deeply heartfelt "aha" moment,
and couldn't wait to share this truth.
Bursting at the seams,
little one raced down the hall,
found their parents in the kitchen.
"Mama". (PANTING)
"I'm a girl.
I'm a girl, Daddy.
A girl".
This phrase would become her mantra,
repeated over and
over again to everyone.
Both parents were educators
who-who met while working
with an organization
that served disabled kids.
Mom, as principal of a
school for immigrant children.
Dad taught at the same
school in the Bronx
that his father had attended.
They know kids. They love kids.
So they listened and observed.
Around five or six, the
child began to have tantrums,
and much of that bubbly,
baby joy had dissipated.
Mom and Dad were baffled.
"Why is our child do distressed?"
They never shut the child down,
never punished their child.
They didn't ignore their little one.
Instead, they sought help.
And let me tell you,
there is help out there.
They discovered organizations
such as The Ackerman Institute,
which sponsors The
Gender & Family Project,
where the focus is on gender identity
and educating families and parents
so that everyone is on the same page
and can lean in.
And, yes, lean in they did.
This entire extended Latino
family committed themselves
to supporting that child's epiphany.
Their motto:
"Acceptance equals life".
I met her just after her tenth birthday,
her very first birthday
celebrated as a little girl.
She had chosen her name.
I was introduced to Día.
The very first thing Día
shared with me was, uh,
"Mm-hmm, I'm a theater geek, too".
That's all I needed to hear.
Her parents allowed me to take her
to the closing performance of Charm,
a play about trans teens.
At the cast party, Día was thrilled
to meet fellow trans actresses of color
working in an off-Broadway production.
Not long after, she
was off to summer camp,
where the largely LGBTQ
staff were very life-affirming
and empowering.
Mm-hmm, after that
transformative summer,
Día decided to go through
social transitioning.
She calls the date of her decision
to do so her birthday... July .
Feeling emboldened and empowered,
dressed in her authentic self,
this young teen returned to
her public school that fall
as the girl she actually is.
Oh, but what a bumpy ride.
Oh, yeah, we all remember
our horrific junior high school days.
The depression, the peer group pressure,
feeling like you're the-the other.
Y'all know the list.
My Día walked into trouble.
Trouble with a capital "T".
Every day, agonizing trouble
that nobody should have to live with,
especially at such a tender age.
But Día was never alone.
She had amazing parents,
that supportive, well-informed family
that showered her with
support and unconditional love.
Her courage,
her resilience
is everything.
Día survived that
challenging school year,
and that feat alone
has made her my shero.
Mind you, the next year,
Día changed schools.
(CHUCKLES) She hightailed
it to a more progressive,
more inclusive, more,
uh, uh, accepting school,
where depression is lessened,
uh, su1c1de attempts are lessened,
a-anxiety lessened.
I was at dinner one night
with a group of friends
that included Día's grandmother.
Uh, dinner ran long.
Grandmother needed to
step outside for a moment
to get some air.
I accompanied her.
We sat on a-a bench,
savoring the New York
City spring evening.
Grandmother said, "Oh, I hope
they don't talk all night long.
I have an early morning tomorrow.
You know, it's the Pride parade".
"Oh".
I said, "You're going?"
"Ah, yes, I have to get
there early in the morning
to secure a good seat.
Día's on the teen float.
I want to be able to see her,
and I want her to see me".
This little girl,
Día,
she ushered her entire family
through a door that they
never even knew existed.
And like all sheroes,
Día's walk continues to inspire my own.
I know I speak for her
entire family when I say,
Día, you are loved.
And always remember...
love yourself.
I just wanted to come here
to personally acknowledge
and thank Disney
Television Studios and FX
for their donations to these
three incredible organizations.
Thank you so much, Disney and Fox.
I am so grateful for you.
And I wanted to urge everyone
to help contribute in
any way that they can.
One way you can contribute is by
learning about our communities,
growing with us.
And another way that you can contribute
is by contributing
to these organizations
that are both near and dear to my heart
and made up of people I know and love:
Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative,
aka SNaPCo,
Transgender Law Center,
Marsha P. Johnson Institute,
House of GG,
Intersex Justice Project,
Brave Space Alliance,
#LetUsBreathe Collective,
For the Gworls' Rent and
Gender-Affirming Surgery Fund,
Okra Project,
Black Trans Travel Fund.
These organizations are ran
by black trans and q*eer people
and are servicing the needs
of the most vulnerable
in those communities.
So please give them your time,
attention and energy and money.
Thank you so much.
Let's talk about GLSEN.
In honor of Pride, I am extremely proud
to support organizations like GLSEN
that foster the next
generation of leaders
so they can continue to learn, thrive,
and advocate their truths.
We are aware of the power of education,
and that's what GLSEN is all about.
To learn more about how you
can get involved with GLSEN,
be sure to visit http://www.Poseathon.com.
("SOMEWHERE" PLAYING)
♪ There's a place ♪
♪ For us ♪
♪ Somewhere a place ♪
♪ For us ♪
♪ Peace and quiet ♪
♪ And open air ♪
♪ Wait for us ♪
♪ Somewhere ♪
♪ There's a time ♪
♪ For us ♪
♪ Someday a time ♪
♪ For us ♪
♪ Time together ♪
♪ With time to spare ♪
♪ Time to look ♪
♪ Time to care ♪
♪ Someday ♪
♪ Somewhere ♪
♪ We'll find a new way of living ♪
♪ We'll find a way ♪
♪ Of forgiving ♪
♪ Somewhere ♪
♪ There's a place ♪
♪ For us ♪
♪ A time and place ♪
♪ For us ♪
♪ Hold my hand ♪
♪ And we're halfway there ♪
♪ Hold my hand ♪
♪ And I'll take you there ♪
♪ Somehow ♪
♪ Someday ♪
♪ Somewhere... ♪
My trans sisters are being m*rder*d,
brutalized, taken advantage of.
We don't get respect from cops,
from our own brothers and sisters,
from other fellow people
in the LGBTQIA+ community.
But yet...
we are there for those.
If a trans girl has an
apartment, I guarantee you
there are many people that are
gonna be staying there with her
if they have no place to go.
We feed people. We give love.
We give care, and we put up with a lot.
And people don't realize
that our lives matter.
That our hearts matter,
that our souls matter.
From the time you see us,
before you even know us
or have a conversation with us,
you're ready to call us "abomination",
without even knowing
the love and the care
that we can give.
I am fearful... because it's really sad
that I could lose my
life at any point in time.
Not because I'm doing
anything to anyone,
other than the fact that
I'm just living my life.
The civil rights of trans people
have once again been att*cked.
Now our health care
is taken away from us.
How does that make any of us feel human?
Every person on this
earth that is not trans
always says that they
are human beings, too,
in the face of oppression.
So why is it that people turn around
and say that trans people
don't deserve rights,
or take them away from us?
Why is it that people don't
stand in solidarity with us?
What is it that you fear?
Having the privilege
to do the same things
that every other human
being on this earth can,
and that's work, go home,
love, be loved...
and all of those things,
trans people sometimes will
never, ever get to see them.
When our lives are cut short,
there are no protests.
People talk about back in sl*very
and how blacks were treated.
The lynchings, the-the burnings.
Well, two of my sisters were just b*rned
in a car in Puerto Rico.
One of my sisters was just sh*t
after being lured to a park.
Riah Milton.
Iyanna Dior.
Beaten.
I know that for me right now,
I have to continue to be visible.
I have to continue to show up.
I have to put my fears
behind me and aside,
and step forward, and
continue to step forward
in my truth as the loving,
caring human being that I am.
Because I will not let anyone change
my perspective on humanity.
Because many times, we're
the ones that choose hatred.
Hatred is a choice.
You can come up with
any excuse that you have,
but when you believe
that another human being
is not equal to have the
same rights that you do,
that is hatred.
That is prejudice.
You don't see that when
you get cut and I get cut,
we both bleed.
I need medication and
care just like you need
medication and care.
So today I implore each
and every one of you:
to be an ally is not to
say that you're an ally.
Educate your friends about humanity
and about human beings.
Understand that there are
so many different types
of people in this world, and
we all want the same thing:
to be loved and respected.
And I will always continue to be myself.
Because even through all the prejudice,
the hatred and every
trauma that I have faced,
I will never, ever stop being me.
So I implore you, if
you're going to be an ally,
please do it from the heart.
And remember that trans people
are human beings first,
before anything else,
just like you.
Thank you.
Let's talk about the
Hetrick-Martin Institute.
Their mission is to promote
health and wellness,
build alliances,
acknowledge historical
roots, and create leaders
from high-risk and
underserved communities.
From Pose, you know how we
feel about building families
and empowering the
young LGBTQ+ population.
Mother Blanca says to
visit http://www.Poseathon.com
to learn more.
Happy Pride.
Um...
Before playing Papi on Pose,
I...
did not know what being trans meant,
let alone...
what being an ally meant.
Fast-forward.
Um...
And I have a group
of so many amazing individuals
in front of me.
And day by day,
episode by episode,
I receive gifts.
And those gifts to me
were a little insight
as to the day-to-day struggles,
the hardships
of what it meant,
like, to be trans.
And...
I remember prior to these experiences,
I was an individual
that...
when trans people were ridiculed
or made fun of...
I said nothing.
I stayed to myself.
And I realized
that being an ally
means showing up for those people
when they are not around.
It was a-a valuable lesson I learned
when I encountered a
scenario on a different set
after Pose,
where an individual
said something extremely transphobic.
And before Pose,
I would have said not a single word.
But this time I knew better,
and I made sure that I
made it very, very aware
that those remarks that
that individual said
were extremely harmful.
Though there were no
trans individuals around,
that doesn't mean that
it stops being harmful.
So, it was my responsibility,
it was my duty as an ally,
to say something and to make
an attempt at fixing something.
And I think
that is the biggest way that
Pose has changed my life.
It has given me a strength and a courage
that I did not know I had because...
... I will never know what it feels like
to be a black trans woman
and told that I won't live
to see another day
past , statistically.
And one thing that I can do
is to check those individuals
with those harmful remarks
in hopes that I can do
something to change that.
Happy Pride.
Hey, everybody out there,
it's Mj here, once again,
and I just wanted to send all of
you some words of encouragement.
When it comes to these
crazy, insane times,
us living through a pandemic,
us fighting for our rights
as civil human beings,
I encourage each and
every last one of you,
especially my babies out
there, to keep standing up
for what is right and
condemning what is wrong.
There is so much going
on in our world right now,
and I just want to encourage
you in this moment,
um, to walk authentically.
Pride is about authenticity,
uh, it's about community,
it's about, uh, celebrating
and acknowledging
the accomplishments that we've all made,
but it's also about resistance.
Words of encouragement I
have for my LGBTQ family
are that you are worthy of
everything that you want in life
and to not let anybody
tell you any different.
You are the ones who are going
to push the narrative forward.
You are the next generation
who can carry the legacy.
I know that this year of
has been very challenging for
all of us, due to the pandemic
and also the innocent
lives that were m*rder*d.
I encourage you to resist
and stand up for the rights,
the human rights of
everyone in your communities.
Sending so much love.
This is the time that we
need to stand up together,
have hope, and believe
that change is coming.
We have come so far,
yet we have so far to go.
But I believe that, coming together,
we'll get there very soon.
I love you all, and on
behalf of all of my cast,
thank you for your support.
We are here with you, and
we're in this together.
This is something that we
all fight for as a human race,
together, as one unit.
I'm sending all my love to
you, all of my upliftment,
and here's to a better world.
You know, for a very
long time, I was told
that, um, my authenticity
would be my liability.
Um, that I would never
be masculine enough
to succeed in the entertainment
industry and beyond.
And, um, I spent a long
time trying to live up
to the expectations of others...
society, constructs, whatever
you want to call them.
Um, and it wasn't until I found
the courage and the space
to be unapologetically %
me that my life turned around.
So, I'm living proof
that authenticity is the only way.
Go to FXNetworks.com/Poseathon
and please donate to GLSEN,
the Hetrick-Martin Institute,
as well as the Transgender
Legal Defense & Education Fund.
Thank you, everyone, for tuning in,
as we shared our stories,
talent and pride.
Please don't forget to vote this year.
Make sure you're registered,
make sure you get all that done,
start thinking about that right now.
And take the time to,
uh, hopefully donate
to these wonderful,
wonderful institutions:
the Hetrick-Martin Institute,
um, the Transgender Legal Defense Fund,
and GLSEN.
Um, God bless you all, thank
you for hanging with us.
See you soon.
♪ Always remember ♪
♪ Who you are, hey ♪
♪ If you wanna be the
girl in the picture ♪
♪ Well, you gotta meet her, hello ♪
♪ Open up your eyes,
it's time you realize ♪
♪ Now is the time to shine ♪
♪ It's time to shine ♪
♪ Baby, you're a GOAT,
and everybody knows ♪
♪ You got it, and it
goes from your soul ♪
♪ Sugar, you're a star,
even with your flaws ♪
♪ You're unstoppable, oh ♪
♪ Can't nobody bring you
down when you're hot ♪
♪ All you've got to
do is love yourself ♪
- ♪ Love yourself ♪
- ♪ And if you just believe ♪
♪ That you're really all you need ♪
♪ You won't need nobody else ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself,
get up if you love yourself ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself, get up ♪
- ♪ If you love yourself ♪
- ♪ Love yourself ♪
♪ If you love yourself, get
up if you love yourself ♪
- ♪ Love yourself ♪
- ♪ Get up if you love yourself ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself ♪
♪ From sea to shinin' sea,
we all can come together ♪
♪ Make the world much better, uh-huh ♪
♪ Get up on your feet, we're
dancing in the street ♪
- ♪ Celebrating liberty ♪
- ♪ Oh, liberty ♪
♪ Yeah, we've come this
far but got so far to go ♪
♪ Hold on, baby ♪
♪ Don't let go ♪
♪ If you feel alone, just
listen to this song ♪
♪ Love yourself, you
can't go wrong, oh ♪
♪ Can't nobody bring you
down when you're hot ♪
♪ All you've got to
do is love yourself ♪
- ♪ Love yourself ♪
- ♪ And if you just believe ♪
♪ That you're really all you need ♪
♪ You won't need nobody else ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself,
get up if you love yourself ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself, get up ♪
- ♪ If you love yourself, get up ♪
- ♪ Love yourself ♪
♪ If you love yourself, get
up if you love yourself ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself,
get up if you love yourself ♪
♪ Let me hear you say,
mirror, mirror, on the wall ♪
♪ Mirror, mirror on the wall ♪
♪ Confidence, unstoppable ♪
♪ Confidence, unstoppable ♪
♪ Self-love is the solution ♪
♪ Self-love is the solution ♪
♪ Be a part of this revolution ♪
♪ Be a part of this revolution ♪
♪ Let me hear you say "revolution" ♪
- ♪ Revolution ♪
- ♪ The category is ♪
- ♪ Revolution ♪
- ♪ Revolution ♪
♪ Come on, bring it,
bring it, revolution ♪
- ♪ Revolution ♪
- ♪ Come on, revolution ♪
- ♪ Revolution, revolution ♪
- ♪ Revolution ♪
- ♪ We got a revolution ♪
- ♪ Revolution ♪
♪ Can't nobody bring you
down when you're hot ♪
♪ All you've got to
do is love yourself ♪
♪ If you just believe that
you're the one you need ♪
♪ You don't need nobody else... ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself,
get up if you love yourself ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself, get up ♪
- ♪ If you love yourself ♪
- ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ If you love yourself, get
up if you love yourself ♪
♪ Get up if you love yourself,
get up if you love yourself ♪
- ♪ It's easy, just love ♪
- ♪ Love ♪
- ♪ Yourself ♪
- ♪ Come on, children ♪
♪ Hey, what are you waitin' for? ♪
- ♪ Oh, love ♪
- ♪ Spread love, y'all ♪
- ♪ Yourself ♪
- ♪ Spread love, y'all ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, come on, yeah, yeah ♪
- ♪ Hey, yeah, oh... ♪
- ♪ Love yourself ♪
♪ If you love yourself, get
up if you love yourself. ♪