Angelica Ross to host LGBT forum for 2020 presidential candidates

Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Pose star star Angelica Ross will host the national 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues, making Ross the first transgender person to host a Presidential Forum according to Out. Ross and Zach Stafford, editor-in-chief of The Advocate, confirmed the announcement on Twitter Monday. The forum is on Friday in the Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and will stream live.

"Can you believe this @ZachStafford???" Ross tweeted. "You've had my back since DAY 1! One of the FIRST supporters of @TransTechSocial and now look! Standing in solidarity together on one of the most important stages leading up to the presidential election! Let's do this!!!"

GLAAD, One Iowa, The Gazette and The Advocate present the forum. Presidential candidates Joe Biden, Julian Castro and Marianne Williamson were first to confirm participation. Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Sestak and Elizabeth Warren have also confirmed now. GLAAD has also invited Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang, according to Out.

Transgender activist Ross and GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis will discuss with the candidates their plans for improving acceptance of the LGBT community if elected President in 2020.

Ross played Candy Abundance Ferocity in Seasons 1 and 2 of Pose. Ryan Murphy's drama has the largest transgender cast of any scripted series on television. Pose star Billy Porter is the first openly gay Emmy nominee for Lead Actor in a Drama. Ross will next appear in the cast of Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story: 1984.

"To date in the 2020 presidential primary, LGBTQ issues have largely been absent on the national debate stage, with only a fraction of candidates mentioning the LGBTQ community and the issues affecting their lives," Ellis said in an Aug. 29 announcement of the forum. "We look forward to hearing how each 2020 candidate will fight for LGBTQ acceptance during this campaign and beyond."