Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Reflects on Standing Ovation for Historic Golden Globe Win and Its Effect on Her Career: ‘That Night, I Felt the Shift’
Angelique Jackson Earlier this month, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez was honored by the Human Rights Campaign with the Equality Award for her work advocating for the LGBTQ community. Accepting the award at the JW Marriott in Downtown Los Angeles, Rodriguez delivered a rousing speech addressing the onslaught of more than 400 anti-queer bills that have been introduced across the country, “I remember growing up in Jackson, New Jersey, and feeling free,” Rodriguez told the crowd at the HRC Los Angeles dinner on March 25. “When I was four years old, I had no knowledge of the restrictions that society wanted to place on my body or on my existence. My light. The boxes they wanted to fit me and the standards they wanted me to uphold. I had full autonomy to be just me.”