As a Black transgender woman, actress and activist, Angelica Ross credits her high school experiences in Toastmasters, debate club, theater, and the school newspaper for giving her the confidence to succeed in Hollywood and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.

“By the time I had to get to a space where I had to advocate for my right to use a bathroom, I was used to public speaking,” Ross said. “So, no, that’s not a natural talent, even though I make it look that way. I just have spent a lot of time standing in front of audiences.”

Ross, best known for her roles in Pose and American Horror Story: 1984, spoke at the Alice Statler Auditorium on October 5 as the keynote speaker of the Cornell LGBT Resource Center’s (LGBTRC) 30th anniversary kickoff event. 

The LGBTRC, located on campus at 626 Thurston Ave., hosts programming, workshops and community events open to LGBTQ+ students and allies. It is one of the eight offices that make up the Centers for Student Equity, Empowerment and Belonging; within the Office of the Dean of Students. The office will be hosting anniversary programming all year long, in addition to their signature programs such as the Name Change Clinic on Nov. 8 with the Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY and a Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil on Nov. 20 in collaboration with the Ithaca Pride Alliance and Ithaca College.

Ross spent the night recounting her setbacks and triumphs in her professional and personal life, explaining how she learned to identify — and silence — the inner voices that once filled her with doubt.

“So many voices as you’re growing up tell you who you are and what your value is, only you can determine that,” Ross said. “So how I did that was - I had to turn off that wavelength.”

Karen Perez ‘25, an LGBTRC student staff member who helped introduce Ross at the event, said that the center helped her adjust to college life and find her voice.

“I would say my experience with the LGBTRC was life-saving,” said Perez, an environment and sustainability major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “I was really struggling during my first year at Cornell, where I was experiencing imposter syndrome and wondering if I was going to make it to graduation.” 

Perez participated in the Center's Growthshop program, a six-week dinner series that brings together a small group of students for guided activities and discussions focused on identity exploration and self-reflection.

After finding support at the Center, she shadowed a student programming coordinator and soon stepped into that role herself. Over the past three years she gained valuable experience in planning and executing events, which bolstered her confidence to take on leadership positions in other LGBTQ+ organizations including Haven: The LGBTQ+ Student Union, and Bicons, a bi+ affinity group.

“I feel like I have a safe place to be my authentic self, I have a strong support system in which I can rely on,” Perez said. “I came to terms with the idea that specifics within one's identity may change over time as one evolves and gets to know themselves better, which was very helpful especially within the past year.”

Tina Coyne, interim associate dean and director of the LGBT Resource Center, said her student staff chose Ross to launch the year of celebrations due to her impactful work both on and off the screen.

In 2014, Ross founded TransTech Social Enterprises, a nonprofit that empowers transgender and gender non-conforming individuals through job training, leadership development, and workplace skills. In 2019, she made history as the first openly transgender person to host an American presidential forum, the LGBTQ Presidential Forum.

“Our students loved Pose,” Coyne said. “It shined a light on an often overlooked part of queer culture; the experiences of trans Black folks in the community. It was a historic series and the cast was very visible at a time of increased scrutiny on trans folks legislatively.”

Officially opening at Cornell in 1994, The LGBT Resource Office was the product of decades of student efforts - beginning in 1968 with the creation of the Student Homophile League, the country's second gay rights group to be organized on a college campus. In 1998 the office name changed to the current iteration, the LGBT Resource Center.

The event ended with a moderated discussion between Ross and Haven co-president, N Kitil ‘25, and a short round of questions from the audience. 

Coyne said that Ross was also chosen to speak at this celebratory event to help address student anxiety and distress about the upcoming election. She said that the event was meant to explore the complicated nature of holding space for queer joy and self-care, while working towards liberation.

“Centering joy and discussions of self-advocacy at this event was intentional to support students dealing with these challenges,” Coyne said.