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Speaker 1: Hello Sunshine, Hey besties.

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Speaker 2: Today on the bright Side, we're joined by the one,

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Speaker 2: the only, Mikayla J Rodriguez. She's here to talk about

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Speaker 2: her trailblazing career, from her Golden Globe winning role in

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Speaker 2: Pose to her more recent performance in the Apple TV

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Speaker 2: comedy series Lute, and now MICHAELA. Jay is coming out

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Speaker 2: with a debut album next month. It's Tuesday, August thirteenth.

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Speaker 2: I'm Simone Boyce.

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Speaker 3: I'm Danielle Robe and this is the bright Side from

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Speaker 3: Hello Sunshine, a daily show where we come together to

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Speaker 3: share women's stories, to laugh, learn and brighten your day. Okay, Simone,

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna take us back for a second. Let me

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Speaker 3: set the scene for you, New York City, nineteen eighty seven.

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Speaker 4: Okay, the ball scene. Yes, it's giving glitter vogue hands.

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Speaker 3: I'm talking about the show Pose and our guest today,

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Speaker 3: Mikayla Jay was a star of that show.

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Speaker 4: I even say the breakout star. It was so fun

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Speaker 4: to watch.

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Speaker 3: It gave us fishnets and drama and Donna summer music,

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Speaker 3: and it also gave us heartfelt and real and an

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Speaker 3: inside look into the experiences of the LGBTQ community at

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Speaker 3: that time.

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Speaker 2: You couldn't help but fall in love with each and

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Speaker 2: every one of those characters. Yes, they were so lovable.

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Speaker 3: So the show also really highlighted the experiences of queer

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Speaker 3: and trans people of color. There's a writer from The

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Speaker 3: Guardian that wrote something about the show Pose that I

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Speaker 3: think covers it better than I could.

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Speaker 1: They wrote, the story is achingly.

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Speaker 3: Now and as old as the Hollywood Hills, and I

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Speaker 3: think that's part of what people loved about it. It

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Speaker 3: gave us a look into a time period that we

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Speaker 3: hadn't seen depict it on TV before in a narrative way.

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Speaker 3: It was the height of the AIDS epidemic. This show

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Speaker 3: was also completely universal. It was a guide for living life,

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Speaker 3: for encouraging people to stand up for themselves, uplifting each other,

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Speaker 3: and to pose proudly in their purpose. You know, sometimes

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Speaker 3: the right TV series comes along at the moment that

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Speaker 3: we need it, and that was Pose.

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Speaker 2: Well. We see so much trans struggle, pain, heartbreak, and

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Speaker 2: Pose did not shy away from that. It was so

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Speaker 2: honest about that. But it was really heartening to see

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Speaker 2: the joy on full display on the ballroom floor and

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Speaker 2: to see the bridges that this community has built.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, You're right because with any minority group, we don't

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Speaker 3: often see the joy, we see the struggle.

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Speaker 4: That's such a good point.

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Speaker 3: And I think that word community is the word I

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Speaker 3: think of when I think of that show, because the

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Speaker 3: show was centered around chosen family, chosen community, which is

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Speaker 3: such a buzzword in the LGBTQ community because there's still

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Speaker 3: so many people whose birth families don't embrace them. So

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Speaker 3: the show debuted in twenty eighteen and it ran until

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Speaker 3: twenty twenty one. But here's the thing, we're still talking

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Speaker 3: about it.

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Speaker 1: It had such a.

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Speaker 3: Lasting impact on people, and Mikayla Jay's role as Blanca

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Speaker 3: Evangelista launched her into the spotlight. That performance actually earned

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Speaker 3: Mikayla Jay her first Emmy nomination and Golden Globe. It

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Speaker 3: made her the first transactress to win the award.

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Speaker 2: Truly iconic, and since then, Mikayla Jay has taken Hollywood

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Speaker 2: by storms. She's starred in an American horror story and

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Speaker 2: Loot alongside Maya Rudolph, and now she's making some music, y'all.

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Speaker 2: Her debut album, titled thirty three, is out next month

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Speaker 2: on September twenty sixth, and it explores themes of resilience

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Speaker 2: and self discovery through the eyes of a very sexy

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Speaker 2: avatar named Mikayla J three three f seven. So with

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Speaker 2: this concept album, Mikayla Jay said she wanted to create

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Speaker 2: a quote deeply flawed but resilient hero that young people

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Speaker 2: can look up to.

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Speaker 3: And even though this may be a new venture, Mikayla

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Speaker 3: Jay knows music. She attended the Berkeley College of Music

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Speaker 3: in Boston and soon after got her start in an

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Speaker 3: off Broadway production of Rent, which we love.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, she actually fell in love with music first and

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Speaker 2: then acting came second.

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Speaker 1: She really did us at all.

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Speaker 4: Mikayla Jay. Welcome to the bright Side.

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Speaker 1: Yes, welcome. What's that? What's that? What's up?

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Speaker 2: You know what?

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Speaker 4: We actually have to rewind.

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Speaker 3: I have to do that again because our guest today

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Speaker 3: requires a different introduction. Oh okay, and the category is

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Speaker 3: oare somebody had to do it.

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Speaker 1: Somebody had to do it. I'll take that. I'll take it. Respect.

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Speaker 4: Thank you for not shaving me for the corny intro.

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Speaker 5: I had to No, that's home right there, Yes, no

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Speaker 5: puns intended, No puns intended. I just realized I said home,

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Speaker 5: and that s pose home this is needed. We're never

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Speaker 5: mad at that.

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Speaker 3: Well. I wanted to talk to you about your home

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Speaker 3: because I found out last night that you were from.

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Speaker 4: Newark, New Jersey.

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Speaker 3: Bricksy Loot American horror story pose one of my favorites.

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Speaker 3: You're so Hollywood. Now are you still a Jersey girl

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Speaker 3: or you? Have you gone full blown Hollywood?

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Speaker 5: Oh no, She's going to be Jersey all day every day.

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Speaker 1: You just you want people to take it out of

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Speaker 1: me at all.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Mikayla, So you recently turned thirty three. You're also

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Speaker 2: out with your debut album, also titled thirty three. It

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Speaker 2: seems like you are commemorating this big milestone with this year.

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Speaker 2: What does this year mean to you?

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Speaker 1: It means a lot to me.

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Speaker 5: I mean, there's so much that has happened within this

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Speaker 5: year as far as growth when it comes to me

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Speaker 5: as a person, realizing, rectifying, changing, this year has been

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Speaker 5: very prolific for me, and I thought it was only

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Speaker 5: right to come out with a body of work, a

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Speaker 5: project of work that will really showcase what I've gone through,

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Speaker 5: the stories that I can create, how creative I am,

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Speaker 5: and how people can really get an understanding of me.

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Speaker 5: And I thought the best way to do it was

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Speaker 5: through music. So I think that's like the best kind

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Speaker 5: of like layout I can give.

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Speaker 2: Which song do you think best represents the growth that

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Speaker 2: you've experienced why?

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Speaker 5: It is basically a song about asking why am I

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Speaker 5: treated the way as I'm treated as a trans person

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Speaker 5: of color in the world of America and even when

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Speaker 5: I and I'm sure any woman in the world could

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Speaker 5: understand this because women go through this all the time.

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Speaker 5: But like that song, I asked all the questions of why,

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Speaker 5: like why am I placed here when I could be

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Speaker 5: placed here? And my sisters as well? Why are they

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Speaker 5: placed here when I could be or we could be

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Speaker 5: placed here? Why are we treated the ways that we're treated?

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Speaker 5: Why are we deemed other than a human?

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Speaker 3: Why?

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Speaker 2: Why?

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Speaker 1: Why? Why?

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Speaker 5: Why is no one doing the work to lay down

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Speaker 5: the foundation for us to feel comfortable in the being

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Speaker 5: spaces that we need to be in.

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Speaker 1: Why?

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Speaker 5: And I think that was the growth that I had

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Speaker 5: is you should always ask questions, never be afraid to

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Speaker 5: ask questions, and also never be said that you don't

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Speaker 5: get an answer, that might be your true answer right

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Speaker 5: there when they're silent. So that was the main song

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Speaker 5: that really spoke to me, and all of them are

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Speaker 5: close to my heart.

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Speaker 1: I mean I'm biased naturally.

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Speaker 2: As you were talking about that, I was like, oh,

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Speaker 2: I know why, because she was clearly called to do

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Speaker 2: something great and to have a voice and to encourage

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Speaker 2: other people to have a voice. Did you, in this

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Speaker 2: process of like self discovery producing this album, did you

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Speaker 2: come up with an answer to those big whys?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 5: I think the answer for me was I wasn't being

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Speaker 5: loud enough, So I guess I just got to be

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Speaker 5: a little bit louder. I mean I and I say

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Speaker 5: enough because I was being loud but just not enough.

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Speaker 5: So I guess it's time to be a little bit louder.

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Speaker 5: And I guess music can be turned up. The volume

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Speaker 5: can be turned up, So I guess that's the loudest

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Speaker 5: we can get is through music.

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Speaker 3: This album is a celebration of your artistic expression. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: and it's a concept album, it is what does that mean?

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Speaker 5: So the concept album meaning like there is a story

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Speaker 5: to the whole premise of why the album's coming out

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Speaker 5: and who this person is. And Mikayla Jay is me

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Speaker 5: present day. Mikayla Jay is the girl you're talking to

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Speaker 5: right now. But like the Model thirty three of seven,

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Speaker 5: she's just another hybrid form in a total different world

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Speaker 5: than me who's trying to relate to the present day.

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Speaker 5: She's the future, you know, So like that was the

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Speaker 5: whole concept I wanted to help you people. I feel

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Speaker 5: as an artist, there's this entity or this bionic being

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Speaker 5: who's trying to let the president day Mion Kayla Jay

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Speaker 5: know that there is something much bigger than what all

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Speaker 5: of you really understand, and the only way she can

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Speaker 5: do it is through her passion, which is art and music.

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Speaker 5: And we all, a lot of us have the gifts

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Speaker 5: and the tenacity just stand out and show up and

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Speaker 5: speak through our gifts what we feel could be the

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Speaker 5: bigger answer. And I think that's what this character is

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Speaker 5: and who she is. And I don't know what she's

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Speaker 5: going through on the other end, seems like a lot,

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Speaker 5: and I don't know how I can relate to her.

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Speaker 5: But all I'm doing is conveying her message through this

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Speaker 5: piece of work and this body of work. I mean,

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Speaker 5: when they look at her, they're going to see present

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Speaker 5: day Mikaela Jay, obviously, but what they don't understand is

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Speaker 5: that totally different person, totally different person from who I am.

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Speaker 3: When I sit here with you present, Mikayla, you have

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Speaker 3: such a bright spirit. That's the first thing I realized

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Speaker 3: when you walk through the door. How does past, Michayla

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Speaker 3: play into present? Who were you as a kid in Newark,

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Speaker 3: New Jersey?

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Speaker 5: I was a rambunctious stand out, took no mess, always

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Speaker 5: had a mouth.

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Speaker 1: My mouth got me in trouble a lot.

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Speaker 5: I got to learn from my mama, Yeah, no mess,

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Speaker 5: Like my mom had to always be like girl, you

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Speaker 5: can't always just like react. And I'm glad I've grown

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Speaker 5: not to react. But I think that was the strength

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Speaker 5: that I had when I was younger, for people just

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Speaker 5: to not play with me like I just never ever

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Speaker 5: had the time for that, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 5: And I think that's what made me grow into a mature, smarter,

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Speaker 5: intelligent human being now as an adult, as a trans

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Speaker 5: grown ass woman, you know what I mean. But when

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Speaker 5: I was younger, I was fun. I was even more

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Speaker 5: energetic than I am now. A child jumping off a wall,

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Speaker 5: just jumping off a beds, jumping in the pools, all

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Speaker 5: things everything.

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Speaker 2: Okay, I think everyone's sitting at the table, we all

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Speaker 2: know that names have power.

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Speaker 1: And over the course of your career.

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Speaker 2: We'd known you by many names, Yes, m J, Rodriguez,

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Speaker 2: Angel and Rent Blanca and post yes, and now you

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Speaker 2: are going by your full name, Mikayla J. And it

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Speaker 2: seems like you're in this period of expansion in your

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Speaker 2: life personally. So what does this expansion of your name represent.

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Speaker 5: It gives people more of a personal aspect of me

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Speaker 5: versus just the minimal aspect of me.

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Speaker 1: MJ was my nickname for so long.

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Speaker 5: And even though everybody knew me as MICHAELA Antonio J Rodriguez,

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Speaker 5: MJ was what stuck. But I felt like that was

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Speaker 5: just the nickname that everyone knew and it wouldn't separate

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Speaker 5: me or set me apart. And then there was a

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Speaker 5: resurgence when I wanted to re enter the music rum

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Speaker 5: and reestablish myself and not tell myself to a name

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Speaker 5: that people would probably associate with my acting or with

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Speaker 5: anything else. I wanted to completely wash the slate clean

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Speaker 5: and show people who I was as an artist and

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Speaker 5: as a music artist. So that's why Mikaela JA was

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Speaker 5: so prominent. And I didn't want to put Antonia up

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Speaker 5: in there, and I didn't want Rodriguez to be there either.

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Speaker 5: You know, I love my Latin. You know, people so

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Speaker 5: like we always going to show up, but I wanted

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Speaker 5: there to be a name that stood out and also

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Speaker 5: to honor me in my initials. You know, so now

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Speaker 5: people know what the initials spell out. M spells Mikayla

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Speaker 5: and Jay. I mean, sound it out, it's Jae. But

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Speaker 5: you know, I wanted people to see who I was

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Speaker 5: as an artist and separate those two.

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Speaker 1: This is a big reinvention for you. It's huge.

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Speaker 5: It's huge, and like I said, I mean it's a

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Speaker 5: big reinvention for President Day. Mikayla Jay, future model thirty

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Speaker 5: three or seven, total different story.

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Speaker 4: She's gonna thank you though hopefully.

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Speaker 5: You know, if I do it right, If I don't

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Speaker 5: do it right, then that means I'm not doing her

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Speaker 5: mission right.

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Speaker 1: I gotta do her mission right.

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Speaker 3: We have to take a quick break when we come back. Artist,

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Speaker 3: actress and Golden Globe winner Mikayla Ja talks pose and

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Speaker 3: showing up on the screen and stage as her full self.

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Speaker 4: Stay with us.

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Speaker 1: We're back with Mikayla j.

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Speaker 3: So, Mikayla, I have to tell you as an interviewer,

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Speaker 3: as a host. As a journalist, I really.

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Speaker 4: Try not to fan out. Ooh okay, and I have

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Speaker 4: to fan out.

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Speaker 1: To break my role.

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Speaker 4: I am a pose super fan.

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Speaker 3: I fell in love with you in that show, and

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Speaker 3: I know I wasn't alone. It launched your career into

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Speaker 3: a different stratosphere. I remember interviewing you on the red

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Speaker 3: carpet at the Emmys, and everybody, all the journalists in

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Speaker 3: line in that carpet were so excited for you for

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Speaker 3: Billy Porter, like it meant so much to so many people.

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Speaker 4: So I want to rewind for a second.

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Speaker 3: Because the show's executive produced by Reese Witherspoon. She was

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Speaker 3: our first interview and she talked about how one of

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Speaker 3: the reasons she created Hello Sunshine was she saw all

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Speaker 3: these roles for women that felt so diminishing, and I

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Speaker 3: think any minority group growing up in the time that

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Speaker 3: we did. I'm also thirty three, yes, felt that. And

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Speaker 3: so I want to understand what was the audition landscape

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Speaker 3: like for you, Like, were there any roles that you

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Speaker 3: could actually audition for and feel like your full self? No?

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Speaker 5: Oh, there weren't any roles that I could audition for.

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Speaker 5: But I feel like there were people in the industry

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Speaker 5: who saw me crazy enough, and I was blessed enough

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Speaker 5: to get the roles that were representative of who I was.

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Speaker 5: And I think some of them clocked it when I

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Speaker 5: did Angel and Rent and mind You, like Angel is

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Speaker 5: a drag queen. But I think when people saw me,

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Speaker 5: they didn't see a drag queen. And that was what

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Speaker 5: my whole premise of playing Angel in that time was, Like,

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Speaker 5: I never saw Angel as a drag queen, whereas some

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Speaker 5: actors who played Angel, they're like, no, honey, she gets

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Speaker 5: out of the dragon. She's a man in the day.

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Speaker 5: But like from my interpretation of Rent, Angel was not

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Speaker 5: that Angel was a complete trans woman who obviously didn't

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Speaker 5: have the necessary means to get all of the things

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Speaker 5: that she needed, but she was living fully as who

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Speaker 5: she was and that's why she would go on the

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Speaker 5: streets and play drums.

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Speaker 2: I'm a huge Rent heead, let me just say, And

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Speaker 2: I always saw Angel as a trans woman too.

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Speaker 1: You feel me, yes, like in my head too.

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Speaker 5: And I mean it's debatable, trust me, Like people will

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Speaker 5: say no, oh, and it's fine, that's what artist is.

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Speaker 1: It's supposed to be subjective.

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Speaker 5: But when I went into the role That means I

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Speaker 5: had space to create a character that represented myself. And

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Speaker 5: I didn't know I was subconsciously doing this. But when

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Speaker 5: people would come to the show and I got opportunities

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Speaker 5: my first debut on Airs Shacky, they saw me and

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Speaker 5: they were like, we want you to play this character.

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Speaker 5: How do you feel? And I was just like, oh, yeah,

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Speaker 5: she represents me completely and they were like, okay, we

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Speaker 5: get it. And it was easy. But as far as

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Speaker 5: auditioning for roles, no, it was there was I don't

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Speaker 5: think there was an opportunity for any trans woman at

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Speaker 5: that time.

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Speaker 3: It's unbelievable when I think back, like pre Liver and

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Speaker 3: Cox and Orange is the New Black, and it just

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Speaker 3: representation was so different.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like it could be better.

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Speaker 4: It could be way better.

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Speaker 5: I think it could be much better. I feel like,

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Speaker 5: you know, there's a limitation on trans human beings. We've

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Speaker 5: been under fire politically, and I think there's a narrative

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Speaker 5: that's been spun around us which makes a lot of

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Speaker 5: people feel uncomfortable around us, and a lot of people

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Speaker 5: lump some the things that they've learned off of social

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Speaker 5: media with how all trans women are supposed to act.

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Speaker 1: When that's just not the truth.

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Speaker 5: It's made it in these past couple of years a

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Speaker 5: bit hard for us to strive because of what politically

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Speaker 5: has been done to us. And I do believe it's

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Speaker 5: because of what Pose has done. We made such a

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Speaker 5: big impact, Thank you to Ryan Murphy. We made such

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Speaker 5: a big impact as a group of trans women. It

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Speaker 5: kind of ruffled things up and people wanted to put

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Speaker 5: us in our place. And this is where we're at.

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Speaker 4: Now, what do you mean by that?

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Speaker 5: Like to tell us that we're not capable of being successful,

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Speaker 5: that we're not capable of succeeding in being smart and intelligent. No,

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Speaker 5: we are just supposed to be. You know how that

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Speaker 5: old terminology goes, You're a child, so stay in your

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Speaker 5: place or sit at the child's table. That's what it

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Speaker 5: feels like. But in reality that ain't happening. Like it's

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Speaker 5: just not happening. I don't see that happening on my watch,

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Speaker 5: and I don't want to happen if for any of

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Speaker 5: my other sisters or any other women in general.

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Speaker 2: My favorite kind of art is always art that immerses

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Speaker 2: us in a subculture that was previously cloaked in mystery

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Speaker 2: or previously fell off limits, and that's what POS did

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Speaker 2: for so many people. It's inspired by the queer ballroom

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Speaker 2: seeing in New York in the eighties and early nineties,

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Speaker 2: and the characters are so round and you just couldn't

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Speaker 2: help but fall in love with them instantly and fall

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Speaker 2: in love with the connections and the chosen families that

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Speaker 2: everyone found. What has ballroom given you?

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Speaker 5: A sense of self? Ballroom has definitely given me a

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Speaker 5: sense of self. My mother instilled that in me, obviously

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Speaker 5: through the trace of what a mom could give. And

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Speaker 5: then after you grow up, you're like, I need to

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Speaker 5: find people who are around me who understand me. And

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Speaker 5: you know, I mean though my mother understands me completely

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Speaker 5: and loves me, that's my mother. I don't have friends

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Speaker 5: or peers to really help me grow in that space.

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Speaker 5: I want to ventureround and see what the environment's going

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Speaker 5: to give me. Now, mostly walking down the streets of

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Speaker 5: New York City. You know, the environment and what it's

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Speaker 5: going to give you is going to be straight up,

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Speaker 5: real and honest, and that's what I wanted.

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Speaker 1: So I found the ballroom scene, and I found.

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Speaker 5: It through my high school and it was through my

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Speaker 5: house father where everything sprawled out and I was going

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Speaker 5: back and forth. I didn't stay that long but four

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Speaker 5: years of all of my high school years, and then

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Speaker 5: went to college and kind of focused on my true passion,

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Speaker 5: which was the arts. But well, while I was in

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Speaker 5: high school, that was where I thrived and growing and

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Speaker 5: learning about my queer community. And high school was full

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Speaker 5: of queer people, so it was amazing.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Okay, as I was watching Pose, I couldn't help

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Speaker 2: but wonder, how are your millennial hips and knees doing?

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Speaker 1: Fantastic?

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Speaker 2: Okay, fantastic. The category is orthopetic surgery.

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Speaker 5: Yo, No for real, though, Like, can I just tell

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Speaker 5: you though I have not felt I'm so glad we

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Speaker 5: can talk about these things at our wonderful middle age.

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Speaker 3: Life.

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Speaker 1: Okay, you're right, I got like four years. We do.

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Speaker 5: But like I'm always trying to wonder. I'm like, well,

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Speaker 5: I feel young, we look young as hell, like, but.

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Speaker 1: What like what is this? And it's all about how

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Speaker 1: you feel? It's sued. It's the third it's.

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Speaker 5: A third thank you, thank you. I'm gonna take that

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Speaker 5: and I'm stealing it. Thank you for my thirty third year.

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Speaker 5: I feel like I've been in this really clear space

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Speaker 5: of like Oh, I'm mature, I'm grown.

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Speaker 1: I can make decisions on my own. But I can

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Speaker 1: also be a little bit fruitful.

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Speaker 5: And young and like cheeky if I wanted to, maybe,

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Speaker 5: mm hmm maybe.

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Speaker 1: But for real, do you hear the knees cracking.

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Speaker 2: Like I do?

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Speaker 1: Because ever never? I'm sorry, what is the secret diet?

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Speaker 5: And try to take a walk ever so often when

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Speaker 5: you can, so you can stress those legs out. I

401
00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,760
Speaker 5: work out to work out because your body's on point

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Speaker 5: that whole thing.

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Speaker 1: Thank you.

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Speaker 2: That's so sweet. But my knees be cracking, y'all. They

405
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Speaker 2: be releasing the crack. Yes, releasing the cracking. Yes, they're

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Speaker 2: releasing the cracking.

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Speaker 1: And another one.

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Speaker 5: Because when something does pop crackling, snap, I'm going to

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Speaker 5: say it's releasing the cracking.

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Speaker 1: Thank you.

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Speaker 4: I'm taking took no mess, oh, no mess.

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Speaker 1: Okay, got you.

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna I'm gonna take something for both of y'all

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Speaker 2: before this is over.

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Speaker 1: Just watch out. Okay, okay, we're gonna drop. Listen, we

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Speaker 1: dropping diamonds. Honey.

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Speaker 3: When I see the scenes in Pose, I see love

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Speaker 3: and self confidence and joy and so much courage, and

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Speaker 3: behind the scenes, I'm wondering what was your courageous moment,

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Speaker 3: if you could point to one.

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Speaker 5: I think the moment I realized courage was when I

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Speaker 5: was able to actually pronounce the word courage. And I'm

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Speaker 5: being very like metaphorical in that space, but I knew

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Speaker 5: who I was, I knew what I was sent here

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Speaker 5: to do when I came out, and when I was

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Speaker 5: able to know that, I think that to change the world,

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Speaker 5: no matter what or how way I do it, I'm

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Speaker 5: going to continue to do it. I was just saying

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Speaker 5: earlier today. Beyonce said it her documentary. She was like,

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Speaker 5: they realized that, oh, this bitch won't give up. And

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Speaker 5: I'm just letting y'all know I'm not a bitch that

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Speaker 5: gives up. I'm capricorn. So you understand, you come into

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Speaker 5: a space as a person of color, and the only

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Speaker 5: eye is to exceed and excel higher because there's no

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Speaker 5: a latch for you in this world that we know

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Speaker 5: as America. It's showing all over now. It's prevalent now,

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Speaker 5: whereas years ago it wasn't. So now that I know

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Speaker 5: and I'm aware, I have the tools to say, oh, well,

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Speaker 5: I'm going to continue. You say you're going to stop

440
00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:20,359
Speaker 5: my rights. Oh child, Okay, Well, I'm still going to

441
00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:22,480
Speaker 5: keep being me and I'm still going to keep influencing

442
00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:24,879
Speaker 5: other people out here just because you have your thoughts

443
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:26,760
Speaker 5: about how we are supposed to move through the world.

444
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:27,879
Speaker 1: You don't own my body.

445
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,720
Speaker 5: And as I realize you don't own my body, you

446
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:33,879
Speaker 5: don't own anyone else's body. So like, that's been my

447
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,399
Speaker 5: whole trajectory now, and I think the courage, when it

448
00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,719
Speaker 5: was fully etched over my whole body, was my mother. Like,

449
00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,360
Speaker 5: I don't need anything else from nobody else. And I'm sorry, y'all,

450
00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:46,520
Speaker 5: but I don't need anything else because my mama has

451
00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,800
Speaker 5: to littifight at all. So anyone who says anything about

452
00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,760
Speaker 5: me about when I'm not what I can't, I don't

453
00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:54,560
Speaker 5: give it down because my mama.

454
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,359
Speaker 1: Already lit about it. She put me on this earth.

455
00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:03,280
Speaker 5: I know what I know. I know a woman, and henceforth.

456
00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:07,440
Speaker 3: For everybody listening and not watching, yes, she just did

457
00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:08,520
Speaker 3: a full body movement.

458
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,520
Speaker 1: I'm here. I'm here. I'm here because a mama orgery boom.

459
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:15,919
Speaker 2: Okay, we need to take a quick break when we

460
00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,080
Speaker 2: come back. Artists and actor Mikayla Jay reflects on her

461
00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,639
Speaker 2: historic when at the Golden Globes, stay.

462
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:29,800
Speaker 4: With us, We're back with Mikayla Ja.

463
00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:32,520
Speaker 2: I don't know if it was directly from your mom

464
00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:36,480
Speaker 2: or inspired by someone or something else, but I felt

465
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,200
Speaker 2: you channeling that nurturing energy as Blanca.

466
00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:44,240
Speaker 5: Yes, for sure, all of that, most of that love

467
00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:47,600
Speaker 5: and nurturing that I had received, I definitely brought that

468
00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:48,800
Speaker 5: to Blanca because the world.

469
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:49,280
Speaker 1: Needed to see that.

470
00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:51,160
Speaker 5: Yeah, and they needed to see it from a trans

471
00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,200
Speaker 5: woman of colors perspective too, because they're a trans women

472
00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,200
Speaker 5: of color. When there are mothers out there that can't

473
00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,520
Speaker 5: take care of their children, who bore their children but

474
00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,880
Speaker 5: won't share any capacity with there's always a gay man

475
00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,360
Speaker 5: or trans woman taking that baby in and doing their

476
00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,040
Speaker 5: best to raise them to be the best they can

477
00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:08,120
Speaker 5: be because they know.

478
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:09,719
Speaker 1: What it's like to be different.

479
00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,920
Speaker 5: You know what I try to encourage more is more

480
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,679
Speaker 5: trans women and bio women need to get together and

481
00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:17,800
Speaker 5: raise these kids together so they can be strong.

482
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:22,400
Speaker 2: Well, you have protected the light of so many of

483
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,919
Speaker 2: your fans and viewers and just so many people in

484
00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,399
Speaker 2: the queer community, and that specifically calls to mind that

485
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,040
Speaker 2: moment when you want a golden Globe for your performance

486
00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:35,879
Speaker 2: in posts the first time a transgender person has ever

487
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,760
Speaker 2: won in the Leading Actress and a Drama category, and

488
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,199
Speaker 2: you had such a moving acceptance speech, and we have

489
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:41,800
Speaker 2: a clip of it.

490
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:49,119
Speaker 5: This is for the LGBTQAI, black, Latina, Asian, the many

491
00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:51,760
Speaker 5: multi beautiful calls.

492
00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,600
Speaker 1: Of the rainbow around the freaking world. This is for

493
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,000
Speaker 1: y'all own little MJ.

494
00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:00,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, when you say little MJ, what do you think?

495
00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:02,640
Speaker 2: Are you thinking about the growth and the maturity that's

496
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:03,400
Speaker 2: happened since then?

497
00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:03,880
Speaker 1: I am.

498
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:04,480
Speaker 3: I am.

499
00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:06,520
Speaker 5: I still haven't put it up out of the case,

500
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,439
Speaker 5: but it's in the case on top of the just

501
00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:11,080
Speaker 5: so I know you got to open that thing up

502
00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,520
Speaker 5: and put it up at some point. But looking back

503
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:15,640
Speaker 5: at that, I'm just like wow, Like I can't even

504
00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:21,080
Speaker 5: believe the HFPA like really saw me or took the

505
00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:25,080
Speaker 5: time to notice me to award me a Golden Globe.

506
00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:28,520
Speaker 5: That year was very different from me and very new

507
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,320
Speaker 5: to me. I was in a very vulnerable place when

508
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:34,960
Speaker 5: it came to the Emmys and Awards season because I

509
00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,880
Speaker 5: knew what the stakes were like and what was stacked

510
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,399
Speaker 5: against me. I knew that if I were a natural

511
00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:44,840
Speaker 5: born female, that there would be much more of an

512
00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:47,719
Speaker 5: alloction for me. And I realized that since I was

513
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:49,720
Speaker 5: not that that it was going to be much harder

514
00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:52,159
Speaker 5: for me. And on top of that, being of color,

515
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:54,480
Speaker 5: it's going to make it hardest. So when the Golden

516
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,879
Speaker 5: Globe happened, I was like, what did you guys see?

517
00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:03,240
Speaker 5: What was worth getting this? Because right now I'm feeling

518
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,240
Speaker 5: like I'm at oh wits end. I've been in the

519
00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,560
Speaker 5: industry for so long and working hard to get to

520
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:09,680
Speaker 5: where I'm at, And what did you guys see and

521
00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:14,960
Speaker 5: mean that these other places didn't? And I realized a

522
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,359
Speaker 5: couple of weeks afterwards, when I sat down and really

523
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,359
Speaker 5: took time to think about it, to tell myself, like, one,

524
00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:23,240
Speaker 5: you won this because you deserve it and you want

525
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:23,840
Speaker 5: it on merit.

526
00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:25,040
Speaker 1: They saw you for who you are.

527
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:31,080
Speaker 3: When Simone talked about the award, you got this big

528
00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:34,119
Speaker 3: smile on your face, like almost like a childish grin,

529
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:35,640
Speaker 3: and it was so genuine.

530
00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:36,840
Speaker 1: What was that?

531
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,080
Speaker 5: It was the initial like giddiness and feeling of that

532
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,400
Speaker 5: I made it, Like I finally made it.

533
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,000
Speaker 1: All the people who said are you sure?

534
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,479
Speaker 5: I Michaela like when you go into this world and

535
00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,240
Speaker 5: when you make your big reveal or when you go

536
00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:53,240
Speaker 5: into your transition, are you sure people are going to

537
00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:53,760
Speaker 5: accept you?

538
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,280
Speaker 1: Like, do you think this is the route?

539
00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,280
Speaker 5: And I was like, route child, If this was a route,

540
00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:01,400
Speaker 5: it's a long one and it's been ever since number one,

541
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,240
Speaker 5: route number one, all the way until thirty three.

542
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:05,200
Speaker 1: But I never thought of it as a route.

543
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:09,520
Speaker 5: But when I heard those things, I heard the nervousness,

544
00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:12,840
Speaker 5: the scaredness, the worry of if I was going to succeed.

545
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,560
Speaker 5: And these were from peers, friends of mine. And this

546
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,960
Speaker 5: was in what twenty eleven, so a lot of trans

547
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:22,400
Speaker 5: women weren't being in the forefront or being centered. When

548
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:23,600
Speaker 5: I heard those things, I was just like, I got

549
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,639
Speaker 5: to turn that around. I can't sit here and listen

550
00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:29,840
Speaker 5: to what people have in their heads of how I'm

551
00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:31,960
Speaker 5: going to succeed, like you have to know it for yourself.

552
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:33,600
Speaker 5: And that's how it changed around.

553
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:38,119
Speaker 4: So we talked a lot about pose. We have to

554
00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:38,800
Speaker 4: talk about loot.

555
00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:40,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, we can definitely talk about that.

556
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:43,600
Speaker 3: Congratulations on the renewal for season three.

557
00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:44,880
Speaker 4: I love season one and two.

558
00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:47,560
Speaker 3: I was interested to read that when you were cast

559
00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,359
Speaker 3: on that show, you were given the choice to have

560
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,240
Speaker 3: your character Sophia be either cisgender or transgender, and you

561
00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:56,520
Speaker 3: decided that you wanted her to be gender ambiguous, I

562
00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:58,600
Speaker 3: shouldn't even say her, then, right.

563
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,800
Speaker 5: You can say her, because that's how she's climbing up

564
00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,399
Speaker 5: the ladder, that's how she's moving. My main goal was

565
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,320
Speaker 5: to show the world that it doesn't take just a

566
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:10,160
Speaker 5: biological woman or a trans woman to make it anywhere,

567
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,840
Speaker 5: Like as a woman in general, you can make it anywhere.

568
00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:16,440
Speaker 5: And I didn't want the title of me being trans yeah,

569
00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,920
Speaker 5: to lose it to the minds of people that's interesting.

570
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:19,360
Speaker 1: Yeah.

571
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,480
Speaker 5: I didn't want them to see me as trans and

572
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,359
Speaker 5: then lose their interest because I was a trans woman

573
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,160
Speaker 5: in a high position a coo and them thinking she's

574
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,960
Speaker 5: not qualified to have that job because a lot of

575
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:33,439
Speaker 5: trans women don't have that job. No matter what, if

576
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:35,520
Speaker 5: she's trans or if she's not, she can be in

577
00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,879
Speaker 5: this position. And we should always make it an open

578
00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:40,680
Speaker 5: playing field when it comes to women being in a

579
00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:44,080
Speaker 5: high position like this. I think young girls need to

580
00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:48,400
Speaker 5: see women no matter what walk of life, succeed and

581
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:50,560
Speaker 5: be in positions that are powerful so that they can

582
00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:52,800
Speaker 5: know they can reach and obtain it, because if they

583
00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,560
Speaker 5: don't see that, then they're not going to feel that.

584
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:57,639
Speaker 5: And I knew the impact that I made on Pose

585
00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:59,320
Speaker 5: that they were going to be people who knew I

586
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:00,880
Speaker 5: was trans already. So I was like, well, we don't

587
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:02,399
Speaker 5: need the world to know that I'm trans on a

588
00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,240
Speaker 5: show like this. Instead, we need to just be educative

589
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,720
Speaker 5: and showing how women can be bosses and not only one,

590
00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:13,520
Speaker 5: but two two and two different walks of life and personal,

591
00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,000
Speaker 5: you know in the personal and two different walks of

592
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:19,320
Speaker 5: life in the show, but like juxtaposition to rich and

593
00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:21,159
Speaker 5: someone who had to work to get to where they

594
00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,960
Speaker 5: had to get to have color that that part as well.

595
00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,640
Speaker 5: Come on here, we're having deep conversation America.

596
00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,240
Speaker 4: I need to be dumb for a second.

597
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,399
Speaker 1: And is this weird block where she can't say the

598
00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:35,000
Speaker 1: word dumb so she has to spell it off as

599
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:38,200
Speaker 1: I can't. Yes, I feel like I don't know bad

600
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,720
Speaker 1: saying it? So do you m b second? Bear with me?

601
00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:47,080
Speaker 1: Do you take no? I don't at all your characters.

602
00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,960
Speaker 1: I'm kidding, I'm dunk imagine that was funny.

603
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,720
Speaker 3: Do you take anything from set from these characters? Like

604
00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:58,320
Speaker 3: do you have a fabulous dress or something?

605
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:01,560
Speaker 5: I still have Okay, I have two things from Poe's.

606
00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:04,600
Speaker 5: I tried to take some things from Lou. I'm sorry, y'all.

607
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:05,680
Speaker 5: I couldn't do it.

608
00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:06,880
Speaker 1: I had to respect y'all.

609
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:09,080
Speaker 4: It's because the show is still going.

610
00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:12,440
Speaker 5: Yeah, They're like, here you have this, Machael, and I'm like,

611
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,000
Speaker 5: thank you so much. I've been trying to take this

612
00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,600
Speaker 5: for so long, and I really appreciate that Jack gave no.

613
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:20,240
Speaker 1: But I did it the right way. I didn't klepto it.

614
00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:22,600
Speaker 3: You know. Well, I see sex in the city and

615
00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,000
Speaker 3: like they're wearing the most beautiful bags. I'm like, please

616
00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:28,000
Speaker 3: tell me that Sarah Jessica Parker has keep the sequined

617
00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:30,880
Speaker 3: purple Sundy bag that was stolen from season four.

618
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,240
Speaker 5: Well, you know, I will say, Mother Carrie, she's probably

619
00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:35,040
Speaker 5: made so much money on that.

620
00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:37,440
Speaker 1: Damn sure. She didn't have to take none, So you

621
00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:39,120
Speaker 1: share the wealth, that's what you're saying.

622
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,040
Speaker 5: You're right, I did take I did take the banner

623
00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:43,800
Speaker 5: the Evangelisa Vander.

624
00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:45,280
Speaker 1: I didn't take it. They gave it to me. At

625
00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:46,040
Speaker 1: the end of the show.

626
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,720
Speaker 5: It was Janet and Stephen Canals and I remember Janet

627
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,080
Speaker 5: just flagging it out and just being like, girl, you

628
00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 5: wanted it, so it's yours and Steven.

629
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:55,760
Speaker 1: I think it was Steven who did that.

630
00:28:55,880 --> 00:29:00,560
Speaker 5: And Janet pulled behind her back, uh Blanca's mother's cookbook.

631
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,240
Speaker 5: So I still have those two things. And for loot

632
00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:07,160
Speaker 5: nothing yet, but I'm steal something.

633
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:12,000
Speaker 1: It's called loot. You gotta you know, you gotta loot something, right.

634
00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:12,960
Speaker 1: Thank you for that.

635
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,680
Speaker 5: By the way, I didn't make that something. Thank you

636
00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:18,040
Speaker 5: because I didn't make that correlation. When you said it salute,

637
00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,000
Speaker 5: I had a dumb moment.

638
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:26,840
Speaker 1: Okay, you're hired, You're our third bright side. It was like,

639
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:31,560
Speaker 1: this is like it's no you get you like get us.

640
00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:34,160
Speaker 1: You get our language, you get the vernacular, the energy.

641
00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,200
Speaker 1: It's sickening. We're gonna have to talk to some of

642
00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:40,720
Speaker 1: the people exactly, okay, okay.

643
00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:42,360
Speaker 4: Except for you seem pretty busy.

644
00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,480
Speaker 5: Yeah, I am running around like a chicken with her

645
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:50,000
Speaker 5: hair cut off. But time is always fluctuant.

646
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:54,040
Speaker 3: You're fucking good doing it. Thank you, Michayla. Thank you

647
00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,000
Speaker 3: so much for joining us on the bright side. You

648
00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:57,360
Speaker 3: sprinkled your sunshine on us.

649
00:29:57,520 --> 00:29:59,080
Speaker 1: I told you I was always going to give you

650
00:29:59,120 --> 00:29:59,760
Speaker 1: that good ju ju.

651
00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:05,280
Speaker 3: Mikayla Jay is an artist actor and Golden Globe winner.

652
00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:09,000
Speaker 3: Her debut album thirty three is out September twenty sixth.

653
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:10,280
Speaker 4: We can't wait to hear it.

654
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:16,560
Speaker 1: That's it for today's show.

655
00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,960
Speaker 2: Tomorrow, Doctor Ellen Langer joins US for Wellness Wednesday to

656
00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:21,880
Speaker 2: talk about the power of mindfulness.

657
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,520
Speaker 3: Listen and follow the bright Side on the iHeartRadio app,

658
00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:28,240
Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

659
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:31,200
Speaker 2: I'm Simone Boye. You can find me at Simone Boice

660
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:32,920
Speaker 2: on Instagram and TikTok.

661
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,320
Speaker 4: Danielle Robe on Instagram and TikTok. That's ro Ba.

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00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,560
Speaker 1: Y See you tomorrow, folks. Keep looking on the bright side.