As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8, we continue to put a spotlight on women breaking barriers and blazing trails. After celebrating Pose star Michaela Jaé Rodriguez becoming the first transgender actress to win a Golden Globe this year, we recently caught up with Filipino-American Trans actress-writer-producer Rain Valdez on our podcast series, Golden Globes Around the World. Valdez was a 2020 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Actress in a Shortform Comedy or Drama Series, for her 7-part web series Razor Tongue. After creating, crowd-funding, and producing the series, she became the first Filipino-American transgender Emmy nominee.

In her conversation with Filipino HFPA member Yong Chavez, Valdez talks about passing as a female early in her life but never coming out as Trans until more recently. “I thought that I would have a lot of loss coming out and disclosing my gender identity,” she tells Chavez. “I thought I would lose a lot of people or lose things that I cared about, and I may have lost a friend here or there over the years because of it maybe, but what I gained was so much more.”

Rain got her break in 2017 as Coco in the comedy series Lopez on TV Land and doubled as Miss Van Nuys in the Golden Globe-winning Amazon series Transparent while also working as a producer behind the scenes.

She’s been named one of Outfest LA’s Next Generation of Filmmakers and also guest-starred on the TV series Sneaky Pete and Why Women Kill. 

“I gained.….a sisterhood that I wouldn’t trade for anything and the kind of support system where I feel less alone,” she continues. “I had a lot of fears associated with taking that leap and coming out, but once I did, I wished I’d done it years earlier.”

All 7 episodes of Razor Tongue are available for streaming on Now Ever Artists.