Arts & Entertainment
Indya Moore is the first transgender woman to cover Elle Magazine
The actress revealed she was a victim of sex trafficking as a teen
“Pose” star Indya Moore is the first transgender woman to land the cover of Elle Magazine. The actress and model appears on the cover of Elle’s June 2019 issue.
The 24-year-old told Elle that her parents were confused when she was assigned male at birth but acted feminine as a child.
“Because I was assigned male at birth, they expected me to be masculine or to perform the way they thought young boys should perform. And I did not. They didn’t understand. They had never experienced what it was like to have a family member who was genderqueer,” Moore says.
Moore left home when she was 14 years old. She revealed that she became the victim of sex trafficking when she was a teenager. She says when she was 16 years old she was contacted by people on Facebook who offered her money for hormone therapy in exchange for sex.
“They told me that they had a lot of friends who were trans and they wanted to help me in my process, and that they could help me to get the money that I needed to be a woman,” the star recalled. “They told me that all I had to do was play with these men who will come in for a moment to see me and play with me and then they’ll give me money,” Moore says.
Moore agreed and participated several times. She says she “didn’t understand” what sex trafficking was at the time.
She received her big break on Ryan Murphy’s “Pose” as the beautiful prostitute Angel who falls in love with one of her clients, Stan Bowes (Evan Peters), who works in Trump Tower. Moore told Elle she knew the role would be groundbreaking for her.
“I just knew my life was going to change. I knew I had a chance to teach the world something that would help more people to be safe,” Moore says.
“Pose” season two returns on June 11 at 10 p.m. on FX.
Drag
Pattie Gonia calls out Hegseth’s anti-LGBTQ policies — while doing better pull-ups
Drag queen Pattie Gonia uses a viral instagram video to call out Hegseth’s exclusionary policies while doubling down on activism for LGBTQ rights and the environment.
Drag queen and environmental activist Pattie Gonia has gone viral after posting a video last week calling out Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — and doing so while knocking out a set of pull-ups with cleaner form than his own, all while in full drag. The clip is a direct response to a separate viral video Hegseth himself posted days earlier, in which he performed less-than-perfect pull-ups that drew widespread mockery online.
“Hi Pete Hegseth, Pattie Gonia here, while you’re busy trying to take away the rights of queer people, I’m over here advocating for the rights of all people, including my right to do better pull-ups than you all with my balls tucked inside of me,” she declares in the now-viral Instagram clip, delivering the message in full drag garb with the theatricality she’s known for.
The video lands at a moment when Hegseth’s record on LGBTQ rights continues to draw scrutiny. Since being appointed by President Trump to lead the Pentagon, the Defense Secretary has pushed the twice impeached president toward a series of exclusionary shifts inside the department.
Hegseth’s efforts have included pressing for the rollback of DEI measures, pausing all gender-affirming care for service members, and blocking promotions for personnel with “a history of gender dysphoria.” He has also openly stated that transgender people should not serve in the military and drew controversy for formally renaming a ship previously dedicated to Navy veteran and LGBTQ icon Harvey Milk to USNS Oscar V. Peterson. Hegseth has long criticized the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” framing the policy change as harmful to the armed forces. And in October, he courted further backlash after suggesting women could be barred from military service altogether, arguing that the government would hold personnel to the “highest male standard.”
Pattie’s viral moment is only the latest in her growing portfolio of environmental and queer activism. In August, she joined a team of climbers in Yosemite, helping raise a massive 66-foot-wide trans flag across the iconic El Capitan wall — a striking symbol of trans visibility in one of the most storied national parks in the country. Her drag name even riffs on Patagonia, the famed South American mountain range, blending outdoor culture with camp.
Last week, Pattie Gonia also made a bold statement at the Out 100 award celebration in Los Angeles, wearing a dress crafted from the same trans flag flown at El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. She attended the event alongside non-binary NSP agent SJ Joslin who was fired for her role in helping put up the flag.
Since the beginning of her drag career, Pattie has steadily expanded her influence beyond the stage. She co-founded the Outdoorist Oath, a nonprofit dedicated to helping BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people and femmes build community in the outdoors through education and shared stewardship. She also launched the Queer Outdoor and Environmental Job Board, a free resource that supports queer people seeking work in environmental and nature-based industries, with the aim of diversifying fields where LGBTQ representation remains limited. Her fundraising efforts have generated over $2.7 million for LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and environmental nonprofits, underscoring her ability to mobilize huge audiences toward collective action.
Her recent projects also include a national tour of her environmental drag show, “SAVE HER!”, which blends performance art with climate messaging, and the release of a documentary TV series, “Go Gently,” co-created with Harry Potter’s Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). The series follows their journey from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, where they explore sustainable living and meet with communities protecting the Earth in innovative ways.
Photos
PHOTOS: Remove the Regime rally and march
Dropkick Murphys, Earth to Eve perform on steps of Lincoln Memorial
The Remove the Regime rally and march was held on Saturday, Nov. 22.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Transgender Day of Remembrance was observed at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 20. The event was emceed by Rayceen Pendarvis and Dwight Venson. Musical selections were provided by Agape Praise and Dynamic Praise. Proclamations from the D.C. Council and the D.C. Office of the Mayor were presented. The Pouring of the Libation was conducted by Rev. Elder Akousa McCray and Rev. Paul Fulton-Woods of Unity Fellowship Church.
Remarks were given by trans survivors of violence. Family members of slain trans woman Dream Johnson were featured speakers. Prayers were given by Rev. Cathy Alexander and Rev. Dwayne Johnson of Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. Yael Shafritz gave a Jewish prayer through a video presentation. Closing remarks were given by community leader, Earline Budd.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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