Janet Mock becomes first openly transgender woman to sign Netflix deal

Mock produces, writes and directs series Pose

Janet Mock attends the Pose season two premiere on 5 June, 2019 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Janet Mock has become the first openly transgender woman to sign a major deal with Netflix.

The Pose writer, producer and director has inked a three-year, multi-million-dollar contract with the streaming platform, Variety reported on Wednesday.

This marks the first time an openly transgender woman of colour has landed an overall deal with a major studio.

“This deal is so bonkers,” Mock said in an announcement video shared by Netflix’s Strong Black Lead Twitter account.

“I, of course, will be writing and directing a few hush-hush projects that I can’t really talk about, but one of them is a half-hour drama and another is a college series. So I’m really excited for that.

“This is the first kind of deal of its kind for a trans person, no less a trans woman of colour.

“You know, 84 per cent of Americans say that they don’t know and or work with a trans person, and so there’s potential now with Netflix’s worldwide audience to introduce millions – hundreds of millions of viewers to trans people and showing people who may not understand us that we can tell our own stories.”

According to Variety, the deal gives Netflix exclusive rights to Mock’s TV show as well as a first-look option for feature film projects.

Mock remains free to work on Pose, whose original network is FX.

The show’s first season was added to Netflix in May this year.

Pose, set in the Eighties and early Nineties, documents New York City’s ballroom scene.