Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is starting the new year with a huge milestone!
The Hollywood sensation has made entertainment history for being the first transgender actress to win a prestigious Golden Globes award.
The 31-year-old actress recently addressed her big win at a private event held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, January 9, 2022.
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Believes Her Historic Win Will Open Doors For Others
Following her Golden Globes win, Rodriguez took to Instagram in celebration with a heartfelt post about the historical moment and its significance to her community.
The entertainer shared a stunning portrait of herself in a gorgeous green sequin outfit accompanied by silver jewelry, including a necklace and dangling earrings.
The 31-year-old completed her chic look with matching green eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and nude lipstick while her black hair was slicked back.
This breathtaking portrait had a Golden Globes Award design at the bottom alongside an announcement confirming the “Rent” performer’s category win.
The Theater alum was awarded Best Actress in a TV Drama for her fantastic performance as Blanca Evangelista in the hit series “Pose.”
Regarding this victory, the New Jersey native expressed her profound gratitude to the organization for giving her the best-belated present as the award came two days after the actress’s birthday.
Rather than enjoy this moment by herself, the trans queen declared that her milestone would “open doors” for others by writing:
“This is the door that is going to open the door for many more young, talented individuals. They will see that it is more than possible.”
The award winner stated that the world would see that “a young, Black, Latina girl” from New Jersey, whose dream was to change people’s minds with love, has finally won.
The LGBTQIA community wasn’t forgotten as the “Tick, Tick… Boom!” star professed that the door to reach the stars was finally open to them.
Rodriguez also gave a special shout-out to her fellow nominees, who she described as “queens and phenomenal women.”
Why The Emmy Nominee Stopped Using Her Nickname “Mj Rodriguez”
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Last year, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that “The Big Take” actress would no longer be addressed by her nickname “Mj Rodriguez” as she wished to go by her full name.
The 31-year-old confessed that the childhood moniker was derived from the Spiderman character “Mary Jane ‘Mj’ Watson,” but it no longer suited the woman she was becoming.
The Theater star decided to use her full name because she wanted viewers to connect with the real person behind the characters she portrayed on TV.
This revelation came not long after the “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen” star made history for becoming the first transgender to be nominated for an Emmy Award.
Although she didn’t win the category for best actress in this event, Rodriguez’s victory was undisputed at the 79th annual Golden Globes Awards.
As shared by PEOPLE, the award ceremony didn’t follow its usual pattern due to the increased COVID-19 cases. Therefore there were no red carpet, media, audience, or nominees present.
There was also no live broadcast because of the controversy caused by an exposé that claimed no Black members within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
