WATCH: ‘Pose’ Star Billy Porter Says He Stands Up For ‘Little Black Sissy Boys’

By N. Jamiyla Chisholm Jun 06, 2019

Billy Porter will return to his much-beloved role of Pray Tell when season two of “Pose” premieres on FX on June 11. But before then, he is addressing his fans. In a conversation with actress Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Porter reflects on the show’s huge impact with viewers, saying the best part of his work is that he’s had too many memorable fan moments to count.

“I’m so moved by all the people, but really, particularly, the little Black sissy boys, the little Black queens,” the Tony-winner said. “The ones who are told that their existence on the planet is unworthy, they’re unworthy of living. The little trans kids, the little ones, who reach out to me on social media.”

“Pose,” an ode to New York City’s 1980s underground ball culture during the height of the AIDS epidemic, features “the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles,” FX Networks says—including stars Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar, Mj Rodriguez and Angelica Ross—plus the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ+ actors ever for a scripted series.

Porter thinks this reflection of the community is why fans are so moved by the show. “Representation does matter. To have somebody to see and go, ‘Maybe I’ll be alright, if I can just get through the quagmire of whatever this mess is over here, in this time, and get to the other side, I’m gonna be alright,’” Porter said.

Porter’s episode of “Actors on Actors” debuts on PBS on June 18, but you can watch the full episode now: