Trans Latina actress Nava Mau became the first trans Emmy nominee for a limited series for her role in the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer. Nominations for the 2024 Television Academy Emmys were announced Wednesday morning (July 17).
In Baby Reindeer, the Mexican actress plays Teri, the trans girlfriend of the show’s main character, Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd). Donny is a struggling comic and bartender being stalked by a woman who comes into his bar one evening.
Originally from Mexico City, the 32-year-old Mau was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and Oakland, California. She earned a degree in linguistics and cognitive sciences from Pomona College. Later, she worked as a paralegal for immigrants and a human rights consultant for members of the LGBTQ community.
“I hope that people who may have been ignorant, judgmental, or hateful when it comes to trans people … realize that we’re just human, first and foremost,” Mau told Vogue earlier this year. “We want love, we have friends, we have careers, we have dreams, we have fully developed personalities, and we are not just a headline, we’re not just a punchline.”
The 2024 Television Academy Emmys broadcast live on Sunday, September 15 on ABC at 8 p.m. EST and the next day on Hulu.