Pose actress Angelica Ross will make history this week, set to take stage as host of the Democratic Party's LGBTIQ+ forum on September 20.
According to Deadline, candidates to confirm their participation in the event, which is hosted by GLAAD, include Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Sestak, Elizabeth Warren and Marianne Williamson.
Not only will the forum be the first of its kind, it will reportedly mark the first time in history a transgender person has hosted a presidential forum.
In a tweet, the star and activist said she was "ready and excited" to moderate the event, saying she wanted to "ensure that presidential candidates are talking about issues important to LGBTIQ+ voters."
In a statement, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, who will join Ross on stage, highlighted the importance of the event.
“This [LGBTIQ+] Presidential Forum is a pivotal moment in the 2020 election cycle,” she wrote.
“It’s the first time that LGBTIQ+ issues will be exclusively discussed by 2020 presidential candidates on a national stage.
"We look forward to hearing how the 2020 candidates plan to reverse the attacks and rollbacks of the Trump administration and put [LGBTIQ+] Americans on a course to 100 per cent acceptance.”
Ross, who is set to star in the upcoming American Horror Story 1984, is the President of Miss Ross, Inc. and founder and CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, which aims to train those in poverty with the skills needed to work in the digital world and empower marginalised communities.
