Pose star Dominique Jackson still ‘carries a lot of fear’ after violent assault
Pose star Dominique Jackson has opened up about her experiences of violence as a trans woman. (Getty/Arturo Holmes)
Pose star Dominique Jackson has candidly discussed her experiences of violence as a trans woman.
The actor and model, best known for playing the fierce and formidable Elektra Abundance on the hit Ryan Murphy series, revealed that she carried “a lot of fear” after being assaulted in 2014.
While most people were “joyful” about seeing her on Pose when it premiered in 2018, she also faced death threats, she said.
“There’s this thing that happens where one or two comments come in amid all that joy and those comments [are] very negative or contained death threats,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I could not sit at home and be fearful of showing up to something that was important or something that I fought for all of my life.”
Speaking about being attacked almost a decade ago, Jackson continued: “Another thing that happened to me was in 2014, I was strangled within moments of my life. I carried a lot of fear with me after that.
“Because of the climate out there, as a trans woman, I do not travel by myself. I’m a free spirit and I meet people, speak to them, laugh with them, but I don’t want that to be the end of my life. So, I have to be extra careful.”
Jackson went on to reveal that in 2018, a man tried to rape her while she was on holiday in the Caribbean resort of Aruba with her then-husband, Al.
Opening up about the implications of experiencing violence and trauma, Jackson, who earlier this month received the 2023 National Leadership Award for the National LGBTQ Task Force, said she has suffered with agoraphobia.
“It’s something that happens a lot in the sense of right before I go out, I get a little panicky or nervous. But I have overcome it.
“I spent eight years of my life dealing with not wanting to go outside, having major anxiety in spaces even though I had to work in said spaces. I had to eat and I have to live, so I’ve found the courage. I will always get there even if it means that once I’m home, I’m a mess on the floor, crying hysterically.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the actress, who also starred in American Horror Stories and American Gods, reflected on the current political climate in the US.
In several Republican states, politicians are pushing forward with legislation that seeks to ban public drag performances and restrict gender-affirming care for trans youth.
“If you are the type of person who looks at another human being [and] only sees things that you think are wrong with them, and you believe that they should not live the same existence of life or comfortability that you are living, then there is something mentally wrong with you. You need help.” Jackson said.
“I pity those who are trying to ban drag and force us into these political battles. I’ve never heard of someone bringing a kid into a club to see drag queens. Someone has to read to these kids because a lot of parents aren’t.”
