The 60s to the 80s was known as the time for the Sexual Liberation movement, the social movement that challenges the social norms that were set by society and embraces the freedom of gender & sexuality. Pose is a drama set in the late 80s depicting the African American & Latino underground drag ballroom culture, further juxtaposed by the different social scenes present in New York City. The LGBTQ+ community embraced its release in 2018 for its portrayal of the topic of Gender and Sexuality. The drama circles around the underground ball culture where transgender and gay outcasts can liberate themselves and feel a sense of belonging; however, the drama also reveals the reality behind this glamour as the characters navigate themselves around the prejudices prevalent in society.
The drama opens with a close up of Elektra Abundance, a beautiful and ruthless transwoman. Elektra’s is one of the stories that is followed closely by the series, with her feminine features, she has been able to pass as a “complete woman” with a male paramour, Dick Ford, a wealthy man that supports her financially. However, as the series progress, the grandeur of Elektra’s glamorous life begins to fade with the conflict of her transitioning journey. Hoping to complete her transition with the final sex reassignment surgery, Elektra approaches Ford for the funds required for this transition only to be turned away with Ford, stating that it is her penis that he is attracted to. The series further reveal the fetishization of many men towards Elektra's physique, turning her away when they discovered that she had completed her transition. Despite the rejection by her lover and others, Elektra maintains her desire and embraces her gender identity.
Contrasting the life of Elektra as a kept woman is Angel Evangelista, a transwoman who relies on being an escort and dancer for XXX Peep Show booths for money. The drama follows Angel’s complicated relationship with her client Stan Bowes, a businessman who then acts as her financial support for most of the first season. Despite the different lives led by these two characters, they both share a similar story experienced by many transwomen: being bound by the fetishization of trans-amorous men and having to rely on selling their bodies or the support from their lover. Angel and Elektra’s storyline portrays the complicated issue of the liberation of gender and sexuality in a society that denies this freedom for ‘outcasts’ like the characters in Pose to express themselves.
Pose portrays the issue of gender and sexuality not only from trans people but also from trans-amorous men. Bowes, a man who seems to be the representation of the American dream yet feels suffocated by the façade to which he lives in. Bowes is a corporate man with a loving wife and two kids; however, he is overwhelmed by the feeling of self-hatred and the fear of embracing his true desires with Angel. In his first scene, Bowes appears nervous at the prospect of being with Angel, hesitating to express his desires. When his marriage begins to fall apart, the audience sees Bowes try to embrace his desire by asking Angel to show him the balls. Yet, faced with the ball, the differences between his two lives proves to be too much for him and reverts to the mold that he began with.
Pose showcases the intricate line between gender and sexuality through the portrayal of the desire for acceptance by the LGBTQ+ community and those that feel suppressed by society. One of the most powerful and influential scenes was the moment where Elektra chose herself over Ford and embraced her true identity as a woman, an inspiring moment for many. The role of gender in one’s life impacts the perception of sexuality viewed by others; the intricate entwinement of these two was well depicted in Pose. Pose remains as a drama series that speaks out for many of those in the trans community and portrays the complicated path of the sexual liberation movement.
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