Angelica Ross

“When I was on 'Doubt' on CBS, there was a 60-second scene, but in that 60 seconds, people were so affected because it was trans women in a very normalized situation.”

“I used to work at Bloomingdale's when I was transitioning, and they didn't want me using the same bathroom as the female employees or what have you, so it was a struggle.”

“While I don't necessarily believe the cliche that 'everything happens for a reason,' I do believe that every encounter, every situation, and every challenge I've experienced has shaped me into the woman I am today. And I am proud to say that I have never backed down from life's challenges.”

“Being trans comes at a high cost, but being black and trans can cost you your life.”

“Basically, I'm working on global domination. I plan to have members globally. What I'm looking to do is expand in a way that allows us to provide more access and take advantage of the sort of 'world is flat' technology platform, where it doesn't matter where you're located.”

“Media is a double-edged sword and has the power to change hearts and minds through authentic storytelling as well as the power to paint a person, or an entire community, in a dim and misleading light.”

“I actually run a nonprofit that's all about giving people opportunities to be their own heroes and do their own work.”

“The art of what they call female impersonation, or the drag shows, really helped me to hone what type of woman I was.”

“What's hurtful is when you have portrayals like, you know, when you have someone like Jared Leto who accepts an award for 'Dallas Buyers Club,' after playing a trans woman, standing in a full beard and looking fully cis male: it is communicating to our audiences that underneath all of that, it's still a man under that.”

“Let's not fantasize about having a world of only trans people or only of LGBTQ people. Let's fantasize about a world in which we all can co-exist and where there is just talent that recognizes talent.”

“What I've learned about being trans in transition is just that sometimes good things don't happen when you try to rush things. Just as a young girl grows into a young woman, you know, we transition; we grow into our bodies the same way.”

“The problem with the spectrum that is trans-ness and where people like Caitlyn Jenner lie, transitioning and being trans is more than a physical thing. Transition is a process.”

“After I came out to my mother at 17, I ran away from home and lived with a friend. We come from a highly religious family, and she could not accept it. It was devastating, and I was depressed.”

“I had always been pegged for being feminine. People would always say, 'Ooh, that's a pretty little girl.' They would talk about my eyelashes or that I was sensitive or that I was crying all the time. I didn't want to play in the dirt outside with the boys.”

“I used to wear so much makeup and be beat, and that would get me clocked, so then I'd wear less makeup.”

“'Pose' makes the case that it's important to have some sort of family structure, even if you have to create one. You know, if I go back home for a while, my mom will be like, 'Oh, I didn't really throw you out the house.' And I know so many other LGBT parents who don't really own or talk about the rejection, and it prevents healing.”

“I was cast in commercials, music videos, and booked a lot of modeling jobs. But my acting career never took off because I was holding myself back. I was acting across from male partners who didn't know that I am trans. I was being taught by teachers who didn't know.”