MUSIC
“Pose” Actor Launches Talent Agency
Jason Rodriguez aims to help queer performers of color
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Out gay “Pose” actor Jason
Rodriguez is spearheading
a new talent
agency focused on developing
queer and transgender
performers of color.
Earlier this month, Rodriguez
— known for playing the character
Lemar Khan on “Pose” — and
manager Ricardo Sebastián, a
queer, non-binary Latinx person,
unveiled the Arraygency, a talent
agency in New York that will exclusively
cultivate trans and queer
entertainers of color. Rodriguez
wants to mentor queer and trans
artists, who often lack support in
their careers.
Rodriguez, who hails from the
Washington Heights section of
Manhattan, portrayed a character
who navigated the ballroom scene
across the houses of Abundance,
Ferocity, Wintour, and Evangelista
before creating the House of
Khan. Now, with the third and fi -
Podcast Episode: Emma Seligman
“Thank You For Coming Out” features Canadian fi lmmaker
BY BOBBY HANKINSON
In this week’s episode of
the Gay City News podcast
“Thank You For Coming
Out,” creator and host Dubbs
Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes
Emma Seligman (she/they).
Emma is a Canadian fi lmmaker.
Her fi rst fi lm, Shiva Baby, starring
Rachel Sennott, Polly Draper, Dianna
Agron, Molly Gordon, Fred
Melamed and Danny Deferrari
was selected to screen at South
by Southwest Film Festival, Toronto
International Film Festival
and OutFest LA. It has received
numerous accolades, including
Best Screenwriting at Outfest LA,
Best Narrative Feature at Indie
Memphis fi lm festival and was a
Jason Rodriguez at the premiere of the third and fi nal season of “Pose.”
nal season of the groundbreaking
FX series complete, Rodriguez told
reporters he is setting his sights on
helping emerging talent rise to the
forefront.
“To bring these BIPOC, queer
and trans folks and make sure
that they’re supported and understand
the ropes, and the connectors,
and the movements in
New York Times Critic’s Pick. It
was released in select theaters and
VOD on April 2 and can now be
watched on HBO. In 2020, Emma
was named one of Variety’s 10
Screenwriters to Watch and one
of Filmmaker Mag’s ‘25 New Faces
of Independent Film. Listen to this
episode at gaycitynews.com.
As queer people, we are constantly
coming out, and each coming
out story is unique in its blend
of humor, heartache, worry, and
wonder. “Thank You For Coming
Out,” inspired by Dubbs’ beloved
live comedy show of the same
name, pairs them as host with
lesbian, gay, trans, bi, non-binary,
and more members of the queer
community to discuss their coming
out stories.
REUTERS/ANDREW KELLY
these industries — so they are not
lost,” Rodriguez told the New York
Daily News. “Most of the times, we
haven’t been given the opportunity
to learn these creative moves and
ventures and terminology because
of our identities, because we’re
Latinx, because we’re Black, because
we’re queer, we’re trans.”
As a gay man of color, Rodriguez
said he experienced many of these
challenges while starring in “Pose.”
“When I stepped into “Pose” (2018),
I was still learning,” Rodriguez told
the New York Daily News. “Everything
for me was a learning curve,
learning what it meant to have an
agent, to have your manager.”
In the past, Rodriguez struggled
to fi nd managers who would fi ght
for his worth and career. That has
not been the case with Sebastián,
who has brought in a range of lucrative
opportunities not only for
Rodriguez but for dozens of others
in the ballroom scene.
“It wasn’t until I met Ricardo
that I fi nally found somebody to be
part of my team with that sense of
urgency and hustle, and most importantly,
someone who related
to my identity, me being queer, me
being gay,” Rodriguez explained.
Rodriguez and Sebastián said in
an Instagram Live post that they
are still scouting for new talent
and seek individuals who are vocal
about their needs.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT
Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Emma Seligman (she/they).
AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 8,22 2021 | GayCityNews.com
/gaycitynews.com
/GayCityNews.com
