Latina Trans Star MJ Rodriguez Unstoppable After Making Emmy History

MJ Rodriguez has been making headlines, and the LGBTQ+ community could not be more proud. The Latina trans star recently won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Pose.

Thousands sent their heartfelt congratulations to the beautiful actress. As usual, MJ had some wise words for everybody – she explained that she wants “to be seen as a human being first.” Too often, people focus on someone else’s gender identity, when instead they should consider who they are as a human being. “Being African American, Latina, a trans woman” all come after this. But make no mistake, Rodriguez is still making strides in her acting community and beyond.

So, who is MJ Rodriguez?

Ever since she was little, Rodriguez has been unique. At just 14 years old, MJ came out as gay/bisexual to her parents. At this same age she also started doing drag shows, while her father taught her how to vogue. Evidently, this accepting and inclusive upbringing turned out to be a recipe for success. In 2016, she began her transition, and by 2017 she fully embraced her new identity and began acting! She was even nominated at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival for her role as Ebony in Saturday Church. This propelled her to much greater heights.

Mj Rodriguez and Billy Porter on Pose

In 2018, she was cast as the leading role of the hit TV show, Pose. This role was very fitting, because in the show she plays a mother to queer youth who are lost. When the pilot episode aired in June 2018, the show achieved critical acclaim, boosting MJ’s star power even further. Some other notable cast members in the show are trans rights activist Angelica Ross, trans model Dominique Jackson, and actress Kate Mara.

Her talent caught the attention of more award committees, and she would soon be destined for superstardom. In 2019, Rodriguez won best actress at the Imagen Awards. This made LGBTQ history as she was the first openly transgender woman to win this category! But her success didn’t stop there – in the fall of 2019, she made even more history as she was cast as the first openly trans woman of color in a major theatre production. This was in the show “Little Shop of Horrors,” where she portrayed Audrey. Interestingly though, Rodriguez said this was no big deal and that her casting “shouldn’t be something that’s trending – it should be normal.”

With a new hit single “Something to Say,” having just been released in June, MJ Rodriguez has become a shining beacon for LGBTQ and Latino communities everywhere. With her successes, hopefully all of America and the rest of the world will be more inclusive and display LGBTQ+ beauty and talent in all aspects of entertainment.

In the sweet words of MJ herself, “make sure to keep the people who love you in your pocket.”