*By Christian Smith*
This Pride Month, Americans need to think about how the injustice at the U.S.-Mexico border isn't that different from the injustices committed against the transgender community, says Angelica Ross, a prominent transgender rights activist and one of the stars of the new FX series "Pose."
"As I watch and see immigrant families being torn apart, being put into cages no matter how you describe them, we need to see how there are multiple examples of where we as a country and as a global society have lost touch with our humanity," Ross said in an interview on Cheddar's Business of Pride special Wednesday. "There's a war that's waged on our humanity and we need to win this war at every intersection."
On the trans rights front, Ross said that progress is being made.
"I am constantly trying to remind myself to take a moment and stop and to applaud and to celebrate the small wins because winning this overall battle is an accumulation of small wins," Ross said.
One of those wins is "Pose," Ryan Murphy's new series on FX that dives into the world of the Harlem ballroom scene of the '80s. The series features the largest transgender cast ever ー five recurring characters are played by trans actors. Behind the scenes Ross says you will find trans people with a hand in everything from makeup to the writers' room.
Murphy's team worked closely with the LGBTQ community to put the show together.
"What's amazing is that the collaboration has been between the community and the show in a way that is not just, 'Here we're trying to do this show for your community,' but more, 'How can we tell this story together?'," Ross said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/pose-star-on-how-trans-visibility-is-changing-in-hollywood).
Cheddar's Michelle Castillo breaks down Pt. Pleasant's reopening plan. Beach-goers will have access to the beach beginning 5/29.
With the Scripps National Spelling Bee canceled, many top spellers who would have been on the bee stage this week are instead competing online. The SpellPundit National Online Spelling Bee was launched by two teenage ex-spellers to fill the void left by Scripps' decision.
Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White joins Lion Brand's Stitch Around The World efforts. The group looks to bring crafters around the world together.
Visitation to National Park Service sites has seen a boom in recent years. For five years in a row, the park service has tallied over 300 million visitors per year. It’s an unprecedented spike, and the reason why this is happening now goes deeper than social media alone. While the threat of COVID-19 will likely change those numbers this year, the park service is still figuring out how to regain the balance between preservation and visitation. Cheddar explains the history of crowding in America’s national parks, and the impacts we are seeing from that today.
Officials from SeaWorld and Disney World say they hope to open their theme parks in Orlando, Florida, in June and July. A city task force approved the plans on Wednesday.
NASA is rolling out the International Space Station's red carpet for Tom Cruise.
President Donald Trump is threatening social media companies with new regulation or even closure after Twitter added fact checks to two of his tweets.
Only about half of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed.
While much of the U.S. remains shuttered, state and local leaders in waterfront communities are beginning to allow beaches, boardwalks, and coastal businesses to open on a limited basis.
While the choice to get out this Memorial Day is ultimately a calculated personal risk, many are hoping to find a way to see friends and family for the first time in months.
