Dominique Brebnor (born March 20, 1975), known professionally as Dominique Jackson and Tyra Allure Ross, is a Tobagonian-American actress, author, model, and

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

personality. As an actress, she is best known for her leading role of Elektra Abundance on the FX television series ''

Pose Human positions refer to the different physical configurations that the human body can take. There are several synonyms that refer to human positioning, often used interchangeably, but having specific nuances of meaning. *''Position'' is a gen ...

''. As a model, she has appeared in ''

Vogue España ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vog ...

''.

Early life

Dominique Jackson was born on March 20, 1975, in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

Tobago Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...

, Trinidad and Tobago. Jackson grew up with her grandmother. She experienced a traumatic upbringing that included bullying and sexual abuse. Her family and community in Tobago did not accept her as

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

, and she was regularly reprimanded for displaying her natural feminine characteristics. At age 15, she moved to the United States and lived with her mother. During her time in the United States, Jackson experienced homelessness and turned to sex work and living off credit cards for survival. It was in 1993, while living in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, that Jackson was introduced to the ballroom scene. She then lived in various

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, including Revlon and Allure, before settling in the House of Sinclair in New York City.

Career

Modeling

So that she could develop the right opportunities, Jackson did most of her early modeling work for free. In 2009, she became a resident model for fashion designer Adrian Alicea and walked for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. She has also modeled for ''Vogue España''. She walked for the 2021 Mugler show, along with another trans model,

Hunter Schafer Hunter Schafer (born December 31, 1998) is an American model, actress, and LGBTQ rights activist. For her activism against the HB2, ''Teen Vogue'' listed Schafer on its "21 Under 21" list in 2017. She made her acting debut as transgender high sc ...

Television and film

Jackson has appeared in ''My TRUTH, My STORY'', a Caribbean LGBTQ oral history and storytelling documentary series produced by the Caribbean Equality Project, the documentary ''Visible: The LGBTQ Caribbean Diaspora'' and the

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

reality television series ''

Strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

'' (2016). Her work on ''Strut'' earned her a

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their live ...

nomination. In 2018, Jackson began appearing in the leading role of Elektra Abundance on the FX series ''

'', set in the ballroom subculture scene in late-1980s New York City. The series premiered on June 3, 2018, and attracted critical acclaim. The first season boasted the largest cast of transgender actors for a scripted network series, with over 50 transgender characters/actors. She continued her role as Elektra Wintour in ''Pose''s second and third seasons. In 2021, Jackson starred alongside

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

and others in the short film ''Passage'', created by

Solange Knowles Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, performance artist, and actress. Expressing an interest in music from an early age, Knowles had several temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, wh ...

Writing and community service

New York Pride 50 - 2019-123 (48166864936)

Jackson has been open about her mental health struggles. After a thirteen-year writing process, she released her autobiography ''The Transsexual from Tobago''. She has worked for several nonprofit organizations, such as Destination Tomorrow in the Bronx, that provide outreach and services to the LGBTQ+ community. In 2020, Jackson appeared in a series of public service announcements created by the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

in cooperation with

WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

, to support trans and

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

communities.

Personal life

Jackson grew up very religious and was an active member of the church from a young age. When she was a child her family moved to New York, but she remained living with her grandmother in Trinidad and Tobago. Jackson revealed that around 11 years old she was sexually abused by a member of her church. At 15 years old, she moved to Baltimore with her mother. During that time, she came in contact with the trans community for the first time. She obtained her

green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

in 2015, and also underwent

gender-affirming surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...

the same year. She married Al Jackson at a courthouse in 2016 after dating for about 18 years. The wedding ceremony was held during an episode of ''

''. In 2018, while vacationing at a resort in

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...

, Jackson reported to the authorities that a man attempted to rape her. In 2020, Jackson revealed on her social media that she had separated from her husband in late 2018. On an episode of ''

House Hunters ''House Hunters'' is an American unscripted television series that airs on HGTV and is produced by Pie Town Productions. Each episode follows people making a decision about a new home purchase or rental. Format ''House Hunters'' follows indiv ...

'' that aired on June 1, 2021, it was presented that Jackson was engaged to her personal manager, Edwin Torres.

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

* ''The Transsexual from Tobago (Revised)'' (2013)

References

External links