00:00The moment where I really, really stepped out is when I just said, I don't give up.
00:09Having watched television as a black trans girl, you know, I was always seeking and looking for images of myself and rarely there were any, right?
00:19There were none that represented me in my totality.
00:21And so to be able to work on a show that centers that girl that I was and her journey and to show that to all those little girls that are watching today, you know, to let them know that number one, we see you, we got you and that, you know, forever and ever you're deserving of taking up space in the world.
00:40There will never be a word, a phrase, a label that will ever truly describe who you are.
00:49So it's okay to find labels and things that point you in the right direction.
00:54But as soon as you find that label, you have to drop it because you'll find yourself trying to live up to some label instead of living up to your life.
01:01And to me, God is love.
01:03I think that love comes in many forms, holding on to love, holding on to God and understanding my purpose in life.
01:10And always dissecting my life and challenging myself and growing into who I'm supposed to be.
01:16That message, I've always kept that in my forefront and that's something I would give to others.
01:21I've always believed that my struggles in life were a lesson.
01:26And I thought to myself, why didn't anyone else have to go through these struggles?
01:30But I believe in a higher power and my higher power tells me that they wouldn't hurt me.
01:35They would teach me.
01:36So all of my struggles were a lesson.
01:38So to each and every person out there, I'm telling you, don't let your struggles control you.
01:45Dominique Jackson, she was my counselor when I was 14 years old at Bronx Community Pride Center.
01:52And so she had a major role in me seeing myself in a wholesome way.
01:59It wasn't until I became a young adult that I really got to learn about people like Billy Porter.
02:05I call him father lovingly, affectionately.
02:09And every time I see him, and it's not a joke, like he literally was one of the people in this profession who was out and proud about who he is and unapologetic.
02:22And I really respected that.
02:25You have to love yourself first so that you can teach people how to do the thing.
02:32If you don't know how to love yourself first, then you don't know how to navigate this world that's filled with hate.
02:40Filled.
02:40Babies, the young ones out there, don't care what nobody says.
02:45Listen to who you are, what your mind is telling you.
02:48And you have to be focused on that.
02:50When you listen to other people, it's going to deter you from who you really are and how you truly feel inside.
02:56And that's what I feel like I had to, you know, structure myself.
02:59And it feels good now.
03:00I feel so much more free.
03:01And if I'm feeling free, I'm a testament to it.
03:04That means y'all can feel free too.
03:05Because you don't see yourself realized on a screen or in a movie or in a space, you don't feel like you're important.
03:12And Pose, what Pose has done so beautifully with season one and what it will continue to do with season two,
03:16is to make sure that these babies see themselves realized, loved, and valued.
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