Actress Indya Moore, like many trans people in the U.S., is calling on people in power to stand up for her community’s rights. One of the powerful people she’s calling out by name is none other than her former boss, Ryan Murphy.
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In an emotional video posted to her Instagram on Sunday (Sept. 28), Moore — who gained international acclaim for her portrayal of Angel Evangelista in FX’s Pose — criticized Murphy for failing to stand up for the trans community in the years since the Emmy Award-winning series ended in 2021.
The actress offered her thanks to Murphy and others who “have ever given us jobs” and “allowed us to be able to speak out,” before slamming Murphy for not using his platform to speak up about the ongoing attacks against the trans community by the U.S. government. “The fact that Ryan Murphy has been this silent … like, we really pissed you off that much, Ryan? Who upset you that much, Janet [Mock, writer, director and producer on Pose] really pissed you off that much?”
Moore continued, saying that she has been “reprimanded” before for speaking up about “mistreatment” she dealt with on the set of Pose, including her claim that producer Tanase Popa threw potato chips at her on set. She then turned her attention back to Murphy, asking how the influential showrunner could “do something like Pose during Donald Trump’s [2016-2020] administration, and then it’s like poof, you’re gone.”
“It’s garbage. It’s, like, an embarrassment,” she said. “Ryan Murphy, we need you to do more. You need to address the racism, the violence, and the targeting of people on your productions … you do need to make sure trans people are paid equally.”
Billboard has reached out to Murphy’s representatives for comment.
Moore’s statements about Murphy came amid a 30-minute video, in which the actress emotionally reacted to the Trump administration’s targeting of the trans community since the president took office again in January. In the nine months of the twice-impeached president’s second term thus far, Trump has taken multiple opportunities to discriminate against trans people, including limiting resources for transgender healthcare, eliminating federal recognition of transgender identities, banning trans people from serving in the military and ceasing funding for the national suicide hotline dedicated to helping queer and trans people.
In her tearful video, Moore questioned the competing narratives being used by the president and his supporters. “How do you go from ‘trans people are mentally ill, they need help’ to ‘trans people are terrorists?’ Y’all can’t make up your mind about how you want to view us, as weak and a target to bully, or as strong and a threat,” she said.
Moore thanked those who have stood up for trans people’s rights and safety, and urged those watching to keep doing so in the caption of her video, where she also tagged Murphy. “Trans People Need you. We have been copping [sic] for too long,” she wrote. “Lift us up along side everyone else.”
