Janet Mock
A writer and filmmaker who brought Black and Native Hawaiian trans experience into memoir and television.
Janet Mock was born in Honolulu in 1983. She grew up between Hawaii and the mainland United States and began her transition as a teenager. Her later writing described poverty, abuse and the sex work through which she helped support herself and pay for treatment.
After studying in Hawaii and completing a master’s degree in journalism at New York University, she worked for People’s website. A 2011 profile in “Marie Claire” brought her trans experience to a wide public audience, though she also challenged the language through which the magazine presented it.
“Redefining Realness” (2014) became a bestselling memoir, placing her life within the experiences of trans women of colour rather than treating transition as an isolated spectacle. “Surpassing Certainty” (2017) continued her account into young adulthood and professional life.
On “Pose”, beginning in 2018, Mock worked as a writer, director and producer, helping tell stories rooted in New York’s ballroom communities. Her work made her the first trans woman of colour to write and direct for American television. A later Netflix production agreement expanded her opportunities to shape stories behind the camera.