Angelica Ross

Angelica Ross was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, then raised to the north in nearby Racine.[3] Ross, a trans woman, has said she was perceived as feminine from a young age.[1][4] In 1998, when she was seventeen, she came out as gay to her mother, an evangelical Christian. Her mother did not receive the news well as, according to Ross, "she told me I should commit suicide or she would, because she couldn't have someone like me as her child."[1][5] Ross considered ending her own life and overdosed on medication but survived.[1][4]

Upon graduating high school at 17, Ross briefly attended the University of Wisconsin–Parkside before dropping out after one semester.[3] Ross decided to join the U.S. Navy (after her parents signed a waiver so that she could join as a minor) in order to qualify for the G.I. Bill. Ross initially moved to Rochester, New York, before being stationed in Yokosuka, Kanagawa.[3] After six months of service, she requested and received an "uncharacterized" discharge under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy (which was then in force) due to being harassed by enlisted men who coerced her into saying she was gay.[4][5] Ross moved back home, and made friends with a drag queen called Traci Ross who helped her begin her gender transition at the age of 19.[3] Upon discovering that she was transitioning, her parents threw her out and Ross moved in with her biological father (who was slightly more accepting of her) in Roanoke, Virginia.[3][5] Although Ross and her parents were estranged for a time, she states that their relationship has since been mended.[5] During the six years that she lived in Roanoke, Ross worked as a waitress at Applebee's so that she could earn enough money to pay rent and attend cosmetology school. She was let go from her waitress job due to discrimination.[3] Ross then moved to Hollywood, Florida and worked as a model and escort, then web manager, until 2003.[5] She started a web development and graphic design business and began taking acting classes.[5] She later moved to Chicago to become the employment coordinator for the Trans Life Center.[5]

In 2016, Ross began acting in Her Story, a web series about trans women in Los Angeles.[1][6] The series was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama.[7][8] She also made a guest appearance that year on the TV series Transparent[9] and is also the star and executive producer of the short film Missed Connections, which went on to be an official selection at Outfest 2017, Baltimore International Black Film Festival 2017, La Femme International Film Festival 2017 and Outflix Film Festival 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. In June 2017, Ross began providing voice work for the Amazon Video animated series Danger & Eggs.[10][11]

Her portrayal of the character Candy Ferocity in Ryan Murphy's Pose served as her breakthrough.[12] She currently stars as psychologist Donna Chambers in American Horror Story: 1984, which makes her the first female transgender actress to secure two series regular roles and which marks her second collaboration with Murphy. [13] Her performance garnered critical acclaim by fans and critics alike. In February 2020, Murphy announced through an Instragram post that Ross would come back as a series regular for the show's tenth season.

Ross launched TransTech Social Enterprises in Chicago in 2014.[2] The nonprofit creative design firm trains and contracts transgender and other workers.[2][14] Melissa Harris-Perry brought more attention to the firm in 2015, choosing Ross as her show's first "Foot Soldier" of the year.[2][15] Ross was a featured speaker at the 2015 White House LGBTQ Tech and Innovation Summit.[16] She was also a celebrity ambassador to the 50th Anniversary Stonewall celebration that took place in June 2019 during Pride.[17] On September 20, 2019, Ross hosted the 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues.[18][19] This made her the first openly transgender person to host an American presidential forum.[20] On September 28, 2019, Ross was a featured speaker at the National Trans Visibility March in Washington D.C.[21][22]

• 2015 – Be Amazing Award, Transgender National Alliance[23]
• 2015 – 1st Foot Soldier of the Year, Melissa Harris-Perry[24]
• 2016 – Trailblazer Award, Black Trans Advocacy Awards[25]
• 2016 – Visibility Award, Human Rights Campaign[26]
• 2017 – Outstanding Talk Show Episode – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,[27] GLAAD Media Awards
• 2017 – Special Recognition Award,[28] GLAAD Media Awards
• 2018 – Top 10 LGBT+ Executives, Financial Times [29]
• In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, an event widely considered a watershed moment in the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named her one of the Pride50 "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people".[30]

Ross was once engaged, but called off the engagement as her fiancé did not want others to know that Ross was transgender.[31] She is a practicing Buddhist.[1]

• Official website
• TransTech Social Enterprises web site
• Angelica Ross on IMDb