Pose fans were emotional after Blanca found romance with a lifeguard.

Ryan Murphy’s critically acclaimed drama explores the ballroom culture of 1980s New York City and has won praise for the number of LGBT cast members it features.

The penultimate episode of the second season aired in the US on Tuesday and saw Dominique Jackson’s Elektra taking Mj Rodriguez’s Blanca, Indya Moore’s Angel and Hailie Sahar’s Lulu to the beach.

Mj Rodriguez
Mj Rodriguez stars as Blanca in the acclaimed drama Pose (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Blanca, who is trans and HIV positive, is initially worried about being called a man by other holidaymakers before being talked around by the others.

“That’s just part of being a woman in a man’s world,” Angel said. The group arrives at an oceanside mansion owned by a client of Elektra, who works as a dominatrix.

At the beach, Blanca gets into difficulty in the water and is rescued by a lifeguard, played by Hamilton star Austin Scott.

After he gives her CPR, they enjoy a moonlit date. However, the others have warned Blanca of the dangers trans women often face from straight men.

The date ends with a romantic moment under the stars,

Fans reacted to the romance on Twitter, praising the episode as “heartening”.

The season two finale of Pose will air next Tuesday in the US. Pose airs on BBC Two in the UK.