EGOT-er and dyed-in-the-wool ally Whoopi Goldberg is bringing a new series about Slay Model Management, the world's first exclusively transgender modeling agency with clients such as Out100 alum Isis King and current Attitude cover boy Laith de la Cruz, to Oxygen later this year.
"Strut follows a group of inspiring and resilient trailblazers who are working to change the modeling industry, and the world around them, by simply being true to themselves," Rod Aissa, executive vice president of original programming and development at Oxygen Media, said in a statement. "These individuals will empower viewers as they live their lives fully and unapologetically, despite facing many obstacles throughout their journey."
The show will add even further LGBT representation to the cable network, which saw a hit with The Prancing Elites Project, about a troupe of queer and gender non-conforming dancers from Mobile, Alabama.
Related | The Prancing Elites, Prancing Towards Change
"This show is important right now, because for all of the positive advances the community has made and continues to make, transgender is still a hot-button word that gets people hysterical," Whoops said. "People tend to focus on the stereotype instead of the person, and this series will give viewers a unique opportunity to spend time with real people who are struggling with the same challenges we all face as we make our way through the world. You may even be surprised to discover that you have been seeing and interacting with transgender men and women in ways you didn't even realize!"
Whoops has been doing a lot of moonlighting from The View lately, having recently signed on to the ABC miniseries When We Rise, produced by Gus Van Sant and Dustin Lance Black. And of course, who can forget her legendary cameo on this season's Broad City?
Joyful, joyful indeed.
