Cleary Gottlieb Celebrates Pride Month With Steven Canals

In recognition of Pride month, Cleary Gottlieb hosted a fireside chat with Steven Canals, American screenwriter and producer, best known for co-creating and executive-producing the FX television show POSE.

Protesting police brutality and demands for equality were at the heart of the Stonewall riots, led by queer women activists of color Stormé DeLarverie, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera. This year’s Pride month celebration was dedicated to commemorating the intersectional and historical roots of Black activism and the LGBTQ rights movement. Cleary looks forward to continuing to celebrate and illustrate the civil rights journey for both communities and to support the fight for equality.

Over 280 participants attended the event. Brief welcome and introductory remarks were provided by Managing Partner Michael Gerstenzang. Associates Melissa Gohlke and Thomas Kessler moderated the discussion.

Steven discussed his life and career as a storyteller, which began as a high-schooler in the Bronx when he produced a documentary short about Turf Violence. After earning a B.A. in Cinema from Binghamton University, he attended UCLA’s MFA Screenwriting program, where he served as a research assistant at Hungry Jackal Productions for Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Steven was a staff writer on Freeform’s Dead of Summer, the same year his short film, Afuera, premiered at the 2016 LA Film Festival. In 2018, Variety magazine named him a TV Writer to Watch. His original drama series POSE, co-created with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, debuted June 2018 on FX.

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