Mj Rodriguez is known to most for playing Blanca Evangelista in FX’s groundbreaking queer series Pose. She fits her character because of how similar they are, and the trans actress says she always knew she was unique, even before she had her breakthrough role in the series.

Rodriguez knew she was a girl when she was just seven. She was interested in things like makeup and had long hair. When talking to Elle, she shared she was never shy to express it. 

While she never spoke about how she felt on the inside to her parents, she had a hunch that they always knew. Rodriguez considers it a blessing that her mother had been so aware of these matters, even openly accepting and supporting her.

In fact, it was her mother who helped her figure out her true self. The actress revealed that her mother didn’t ostracize her, which is an experience most trans youths go through. She was instead doted on by her mother because her mother knew she was unique and special.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Mj Rodriguez (@mjrodriguez7)

'Rent' Helped Her With Her Identity

Besides having a very supportive mother, another event in her life that helped her be sure of her identity was her involvement in the 2011 off-Broadway production of Rent. She played Angel, a character who was usually identified as a drag queen.

Rodriguez was in her freshman year at Berklee College of Music in Boston at the time and had a few prior experiences in school plays and children’s theater programs. But despite it being one of her first professional gigs, she already knew how she wanted to play Angel.

When I started ‘Rent,’ I already had an idea of how I was going to portray Angel, simply because of who I was at the moment. Everyone always perceived her as a drag queen, but the reality of the matter is that I truly believe she was a trans woman.

Rodriguez On Her Activism

Like her character in Pose who takes in LGBTQ+ youths shunned by their families and helps them find themselves, Rodriguez also fights for others like her. She considers herself an activist, and her belief in her cause is further strengthened because of all the stigma and violence against trans people.

I want to be that actress that is fighting for all rights. I’m obviously fighting my community simply because I’m trans, and I have to do that, and I do it because that’s my existence. I wake up in the morning and that is my activism.

Variety reported the findings of a 2018 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which revealed that over 50% of transgender males and 29.9% of trans females who took part in the study had attempted suicide.

Rodriguez's Love Life

Rodriguez is currently in a relationship with a man named Stephen. She first broke the news via her Instagram on February 14, 2020. The Pose star shared a photo and video montage of her and Stephen, wishing him a happy Valentine’s Day. 

She made a similar post this February, too, celebrating their relationship by posting a picture from their first meeting.