Actor Dominique Jackson, who slays as Elektra Abundance on Netflix’s “Pose,” wasn’t always able to embody her character’s bold stance on life, especially when she was “living in survival mode,” according to a March 17 article in Out Magazine. "I didn’t value my life so I didn’t celebrate myself.”

These are some of the reflections from Jackson’s premiere episode on the new Hulu series “Defining Moments with OZY,” available for streaming now. Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, Jackson spoke of experiencing homophobia and transphobia from her family, being sexually assaulted by a priest and then finding the ballroom scene when she moved to New York, where she became known as Tyra Allure Ross Margiela. To support herself, Jackson turned to the streets. “Sex work made me feel like I was nothing, I was dirt,” she said.

Yet, those same experiences led her to work with Destination Tomorrow, an LGBTQ center in the Bronx that offers education and practical life skills. "It’s a place where people of color can come to and actually feel like they are being serviced by people who have actually lived the experiences they are going through," she said, according to Out. 

To watch the entire episode of “Defining Moments with OZY,” visit Hulu here. See the trailer below: