Pose

I remember this time so clearly. The clubs, the slow - then rapid - rise of AIDS, the combination of having the freedom of clubs to go for the LGBT community combined with friends either being terrified they had AIDS - or their despair when they found out they did. Finally, fighting back: ACT UP, drug imports from foreign countries, the AIDS quilt, protest marches.

This show should be watched by every LGBT person who did not live through the AIDS epidemic before the triple cocktail was invented and people could actually survive long-term once they knew they had HIV/AIDS. The world for about 15 years was a terrifying place for the community, and POC were so disproportionately hit, it was horrifying - because the few drugs/treatments available were extremely expensive, and they had two forms of discrimination working against them. This was true even after the triple cocktail was first available.

The one good thing that came out of it was that it brought lesbians/bi women, gay men and trans people together for a common cause: that we not be considered disposable.

It's very early in the season to begin an assessment as the story arc is just developing, but I'm "in" thus far. I'm hoping that Ryan Murphy doesn't create a trajectory similar to what we observed with "Glee" and am comforted that he stayed away from a "Paris Is Burning" musical (thus far) as the film itself caused controversy and uproar related to matters of appropriation. I hope that the Pose writers listen to community members on set and keep it real, though many are too young to have experienced, first hand, the events they portray. Please continue to seek out and promote talent in the form of community members who were in the ballroom scene and solicit their input! HIV ravaged the community during this time period and those seeking the comfort of others living the same experience, sharing the same space, were challenged in many ways. It's difficult to invest in relationships that may be fleeting due to a deadly illness.

For those critiquing the acting, it's unfortunate you're not celebrating the use of transgender talent within a community that exists largely in the shadows and is marginalized in our narrow-minded society. For those making societal degradation comments, there are lots of other channels. TV Land may be more your speed.

All that said, I'm loving what I see so far! Thank you for taking this on.

I just finished watching the series two nights ago. It is the most emotionally impactful show I have ever watched and possibly the most emotionally impactful piece of media I've consumed in my life to this point. When I finished the series I could hear Blanca in my head, inspiring me to be a better person.

As a transwoman, seeing a show that featured so many and focused on telling the stories of queer BIPOC people, the AIDs epidemic, and just our fight to exist... this show is so important to remind us that in the face of so much resistance and hate we must stand up for ourselves and our queer siblings and be there for each other. I don't know where I am going with this. I spent two hours bawling my eyes out watching the final two episodes on Monday and I am still processing this.

I love POSE. Which is why I care about it. It's one of the first trans led, trans positive shows to tell the story of lgbtq+ culture in 80s/90s New York ball scene. Yet as much as I love it, I feel half the episodes are like watching re-runs of Jem and the holograms. There's goodies and baddies for every episode, push down your throat morality lessons, and unrealistic poverty living standards. The main lesson I've learnt is that as long as your beautiful and wear amazing clothes you'll life will be fabulous. Forget hardship, just put on a lipstick, spend all your money on outfits and the gym and you'll be fine. The shows premise is amazing, the actors are great and the background stories for the main characters need telling. Yet we need to be able tell these stories in a realistic way so they can be properly understood, so that the audience can fully explore and comprehend the real drama of people's Lives. I feel Pose takes important issues and works to raise awareness but does so with so much millennial style filtering that the real meaning is lost amongst all the gloss and glitter.

Pose is an importante TV show. Period. Even though there are very clear critics to made on the acting, which sometimes looks a bit amateur, and texts that could use a more profund, reflexive and subtle tone instead of what looks to me as ready-for-consumption drama, the show is BEAUTIFULLY made and you can see the passion of the people who worked on it. Serving face, looks ans subjects that actually matter in our society. I hope it grows, pushing the actors forward to get better and better. Meryl Streep wasn't made from dawn to dusk and I think this show is working with a lot of talents on the making. WATCH IT!!