Angelica Ross is determined. From the board room, to film/TV sets and even the Obama White House, Ross is a leading figure of success and strength in the movement for transgender and racial equality, and you can see her resolve in Ryan Murphy’s groundbreaking 2019 Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice Award-nominated hit FX series “Pose” (recently renewed for Season 2) where she stars as ‘Candy’, an outspoken transgender woman commanding respect in the 1980s-inspired New York ballroom scene. The grittiness and street smarts required to make it in this cutthroat fictional world aligns with Ross’s real-life survival as a Black transgender woman.

Set in the 1980s, “Pose” is a dance musical that explores the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the ball culture world, the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe and the downtown social and literary scene. Making TV history, the show features the largest transgender cast ever for a scripted series – five transgender women of color cast to play five series regular roles, including Angelica Ross as ‘Candy Abundance,’ the brashest member of the ‘House of Abundance.’ Despite Candy Abundance’s fearlessness, she is sensitive about her appearance, which is reflected in episode 4 of the first season, a story line loosely based on Angelica’s real-life experience. The show and Angelica’s performance have already received rave reviews, with Vanity Fair saying, “Angelica Ross steals many of her scenes as ‘Candy,’ one of Elektra’s girls, whose ambition is high and whose loyalty is wavering.”Season 2 returns 2019.

The Wisconsin native brings the same strength and heart to her brand-new podcast “Like A Butterfly,” a prequel to her forthcoming book “Like A Butterfly: Leaving the Cocoon,” a memoir about her experience growing up as a trans woman, which touches on sensitive and deeply personal subjects as she searches for a balance to support the community. Her goal in sharing her story is that it will help guide trans folks as well as family members, friends, lovers, and anyone else that recognizes that our society has been changed and that we must change with it too. For Cis people (non-trans), her story will help release rigid rules for performing gender and discover a more authentic expression of yourself and allow others to do the same. New episodes of the podcast will be released on the 15^th of every month, with a follow up Q&A episode released at the end of the month. Episodes are available on Anchor App or here: https://anchor.fm/LikeAButterfly.