What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1369423
T10 WHATS UP! May 9 - 15, 2021 phenomenon, they also face levels of discrimination that a white cis-community struggles to understand. Elektra and the others are also at an immediate disadvan- tage due to racism, transphobia and homophobia, with Elektra now facing assumptions based on her skin color, sexual orien- tation and gender identity. There's a lot to unpack from Elektra's trunk. Whether it's the contents of a pleather co- coon or the intricacies and scars of discrimination, she definitely doesn't want the law to see what's inside. Yet, the Black and Brown transfemi- nine bodies that have occupied the space on our television screens for two years still spar- kle — and we do get to see what's inside. "Pose" is Canals love letter to the late-'80s/early-'90s ball- room culture in NYC and the people who participated in it. Finding a home in under- ground courts — ballrooms — made for royalty, they dance, perform, dress up and define their space. Elektra puts it best: "Balls are a gathering of people who aren't welcome together anywhere else." Through bril- liant storytelling and honest casting, we finally see a portay- al of underrepresented peoples in pop culture. "Pose" has been a source of LGBTQ visibility despite many attempts by society to render it invisible through policy, mis- representation and jest. The show has featured more trans actors playing trans characters than any other series in televi- sion history. Porter, with a ca- reer spanning almost 30 years, is the first openly gay man to win an Emmy. Janet Mock ("Hollywood"), one of the show's writers, is the first trans woman of color hired for her position on a TV series. She is also the first transgender wom- an of color to write and direct a TV episode. The show is un- derstandably the pride of Dis- ney, which owns FX. Unfortunately, Season 3 will be the series' final season. Originally slated for a total of five seasons, the showrunners and creative team believe they have told the story they set out to tell in 2018. While it's sad to say goodbye to such great characters, you have to respect the decision to quit while they're on top. They'll finish up after only seven episodes on June 6. So, what's next for the "Pose" creative team? Both Mock and Murphy are signing on with Netflix, while Canals will re- main with Disney and plans to create another LGBTQ-cen- tered television show. But let's not think about "Pose" ending just yet. After all, we're only getting ready for the third episode this season! There's plenty of time to join in on the saga. Be sure to catch "Pose" as it airs on Sunday, May 9, on FX. A scene from "Pose" continued from page T2 Working it: The final season of 'Pose' continues on FX TV FEATURE Celebrations 5 x 5