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Mj Rodriguez becomes first out trans person ever to win a Golden Globe

Michaela Jae Rodriguez
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Photo: Shutterstock

On Sunday, actress Mj Rodriguez became the first out trans person ever to win a Golden Globe. She won for Best Actress in a TV Drama for her role as Blanca Evangelista in Pose, a hit show about the 1980s and 1990s New York City ballroom scene

Rodriguez, whose 31st birthday was January 7, celebrated her historic win on Instagram.

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“OMG OMGGG!!!!” she wrote. “@goldenglobes Wow! You talking about sickening birthday present! Thank you! This is the door that is going to Open the door for many more young talented individuals. They will see that it is more than possible. They will see that a young Black Latina girl from Newark New Jersey who had a dream, to change the minds others would WITH LOVE. LOVE WINS. To my young LGBTQAI babies WE ARE HERE the door is now open now reach the stars!!!!!”

She also spoke directly to the other nominees in her category: Uzo Aduba, Christine Baranski, Jennifer Aniston, and Elisabeth Moss. “We are Queens,” she wrote. “I’m so happy to share space with you! Each and every last one of you women are phenomenal.”

This year’s Golden Globes were not broadcast after NBC announced it would refuse to air the ceremony due to financial and ethical questions and a lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is in charge of the awards.

Nevertheless, an event was still held, though very small and with no audience, which a spokesperson for the HFPA said was due to COVID-19.

Winners were announced throughout the night on social media, and the lack of broadcast didn’t stop Rodriguez from making an acceptance speech.

On Instagram Live, a very excited Rodriguez thanked the Golden Globes and dedicated her win to the “LGBTQAI, Black, Latina, Asian, the many multi beautiful colors of the rainbow around the freakin’ world.”

“This is not just for me,” she continued, “This is for y’all. This is the door that opens for y’all.”

She gushed about the young and talented individuals who will be able to “storm” through the door because of recognition like this.

She also thanked the many people who were involved in making Pose a success.

Last year, Rodriguez also became the first transgender person to be nominated in a leading acting category for the Emmy’s when she was nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Drama Series.

On the Emmy’s website, she wrote about being Afro-Latina and transgender and how it has made her a fighter in Hollywood.

Her mother, she wrote, “prepared me for the obstacles ahead, knowing that as a person who is part of three different minority communities, how much harder I would have to work compared to my white peers.”

“The fight for identity, existence and liberation for myself and others like me would be long and challenging. To this day, it is truly amazing to me how I didn’t realize that until I reached my mid-20s, but I was always and still am willing to fight.”

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