FX's new show "Pose" is literally a dance show that will go down in history. The brainchild of director/producer Ryan Murphy (creator of "Nip/Tuck," "American Horror Story," and "Glee"), the dance drama is set in 1980s New York City, where the underground ballroom dance scene and the rise of ostentatious tycoons (like Trump) collided. It is set in 1980s New York City, where the underground ballroom dance scene collided with the rise of ostentatious tycoons (like Trump). It follows trans women and members of the LGBTQ community as they battle it out in an underground voguing dance competition, navigating their way through love, life, and their own identities.

The show breaks from the norm by featuring the largest cast of transgender actors in history as series regulars. Janet Mock, one of the writers of Pose, is also a historical figure, the first transgender woman of color to be hired to write a television show. We interviewed Marie Claire's contributing editor to talk about her writing process, breaking down stereotypes, and her path to the future of television.

Marie Claire Pose is set in New York City in the 80s, at the intersection of the underground ballroom dance scene and glitzy Trump-era luxury How do you see the show reflecting the political and social climate of 2018?

Janet Mock One of the biggest things would be the fact that our heroines and protagonists have never been seen before. Pose focuses on the experiences of five trans women and their ambitions, goals, and dreams for their love lives, careers, and lives. By caring about these characters, we learn more about the context in which they exist: how difficult it is for a girl who happens to be trans to live a safe and free life. The theme of being forced out of one's home, out of spaces of worship and school due to intolerance and ignorance. It is something that many young trans women still experience today. What "Pose" does so well, and what I intend with this program, is that even if you don't know a trans person, you can get to know five trans people. By getting to know five transgender people, they can think differently about the people they say are important to them.

MC: In the first episode, I was already emotionally invested in these characters and their stories.

JM: It's a deeply ambitious goal. I thought the potential of this show would allow people to see my sisters and community in a more holistic way. I have never seen a movie or show with more than one trans person in it. If I'm lucky, that is. And they are never the main characters. I think a film with five protagonists in this world would have a profound impact because it would allow us to see humanity.

MC: The show features transgender actors and actresses, including five main regulars. Transgender characters rarely appear on television, usually in stereotypical roles. How did you deal with that as a writer and director?

JM: One of the things that immediately strikes me is that the story never talks about being transgender. That is not the central theme of the show. They are just trans women working in the world. They want to be human, not exotic. Because our show is centered around five trans women, being trans falls away. We get to see the whole of these women. If anything, it's the characters who really seem to be posing, who are feeding into the world of the trope; they are performing because of the hyper, toxic masculinity of the 1980s and the height of greed. In that sense, I think you're really asking the question: this show flips that paradigm. What we do is not what we pretend to be, but what we are. People who have problems with us should not be asking questions about our lives. They need to question themselves. I hope this show does that in a way that is entertaining, inspiring, and heartwarming. At its heart, it is truly an aspirational dance musical, rooted in the backdrop of a time and place when the city was plagued by greed, poverty, HIV, and the crack epidemic. Our characters do not deviate from it. They are part of that world. In doing so, you applaud when they win something like a trophy. That is what makes the show so moving.

MC: You were the first trans woman of color to be hired as a writer for a television show and quickly became a producer and director. Being the first time for anything can be daunting. How did you break this new ground?

JM: I have always been someone who put myself in a world of fear and the unknown. It has always guided me and my career: when I was 26, I was afraid to tell my story for the first time to a Marie Claire reporter. I was also afraid to write my first book [Redefining Realness, 2014] (opens in new tab). But I wrote it. I was also scared when Ryan Murphy asked me to move to the country and work on this show. The same thing happened when he asked me to direct Episode 6. I was like, 'I don't know if I can do it. But he said, 'Yes, you can. Through the HALF initiative (open in new tab), he aims to have half of his films directed by women, LGBT people, and people of color. He is leading the way in an industry that is undergoing a reckoning about gender and race. For me, facing the unknown and fear makes me feel like, 'Oh man, I can do that. There is a historical nature to my recruitment. It's great to stand out in that way. But I hope this shows other young women that they too can aspire to many things. I hope that when people hear about my story and my experience in "Pose," they, too, will challenge themselves to dream in ways they never thought possible.

MC: On your Instagram, you wrote about Angel (one of the five core members, a trans woman who competes in the underground dance scene; see below) In what ways.

JM: I put a lot of myself into every character, but none more than Angel. She probably epitomizes me as an 18-year-old. All I wanted was for a boy to hold my hand. To be a love-sick girl who dreams of being accepted, to have someone who sees me as I am, with all my faults and all my splendor, and to have someone who accepts me completely as I am in front of them. That is what I wanted, and I suppose I not only chased my career dream, but I spent most of my twenties chasing that dream. But deep down inside, I wanted peace. I wanted a home. I saw so much of myself in her. I could give her words - she is much braver than I am. She says things I would not say, things I did not have the courage to say. As a trans woman, as someone who has lived this journey, being able to give words and experiences is a powerful experience for me. I now have a more complete, whole, and realistic portrait of my community and myself.

MC: It must be very interesting for you to have your story on screen and to be able to share it with your audience and help normalize these experiences. We hope that diversity and inclusiveness is the new normal.

JM: That's one of the goals of this show. The theme of this program is acceptance. About truth. About family. And about pursuing dreams and goals. No matter how small or how grand they are. We all have those things. In a way, this film is radical in that it allows those of us who have these experiences to embrace those who are different from us. I hope people love it as much as I did when I wrote and directed it.