Transgender actress and icon Nava Mau just made groundbreaking history (again!) as she revealed on Instagram that she was selected to not only meet Pope Francis, but chat with him personally about LGBTQ+ rights and activism.
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“Not ever in my life did I imagine I would be sitting next to the pope in his residence, let alone speak with him for an hour alongside six LGBTQ+ advocates from around the world,” she said on Instagram yesterday.
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Mau stated that she talked with Pope Francis about her “upbringing, my work with survivors of violence, and the way community has been my faith.”
She continued, saying: “I told him about Baby Reindeer, and what it meant for so many millions of people around the world to now know a trans woman who is empowered, self-possessed, and beloved.”
She also got to talk about her grandmother and the significant role that she played in her life.
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“I’m hopeful that I by no means will be the only [one] moving forward.”
Not much is known about the meeting or what spurred it. However, Mau revealed that she also was talking with “activists from Uganda and Ghana who are representing LGBTQ communities in resistance against laws that go as far as punishing our existence with the death penalty.”
“Their determination and faith should guide us all, for we are not free until everybody’s free. We must be in this fight together,” she continued.
This is far from the first time the breakout Baby Reindeer star has made history. Earlier this year, Mau became the first out trans performer to be nominated for an Emmy for the Limited Series acting category. Celebrating her nomination, she showed up to the event in a custom dress made by fellow trans trailblazer Gigi Goode.
Mau said that the Pope’s parting words to her were “that he wishes us all the love and happiness we desire, and that we should keep fighting.”
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