As a model and actor, Indya Moore is one of the most visible trans people of colour in fashion and media today. Since starting out in the industry, they have been selected by Nicolas Ghesquière to feature in Louis Vuitton’s Pre-Fall 2019 lookbook, and appeared in Calvin Klein ad campaigns and on the covers of Teen Vogue, Elle and L’Officiel USA, among others.
Born in the Bronx to a Puerto Rican mother and Dominican father, Moore left home at 14 and grew up in foster care. They have spoken candidly about their traumatic experiences with sex trafficking, time in prison, being on and off hormone treatment, drug addiction, attempted suicide and homelessness — all before being cast to star in a TV dramatisation of New York’s 1980s LGBTQ underground ballroom scene “Pose” as Angel, a sex worker who struggles as she develops romantic feelings for a client.
A digitally native public figure, Moore has used social media platforms — namely Instagram — to build their image in a way they could control. After posting a video on Youtube dispelling myths about heterosexual men’s attraction to trans women, which went viral, Moore was further thrust into the limelight after being featured in an article by NBC Out, leaving them vulnerable to threats, violence and abuse from those closest to them.
Moore has been featured in the Time 100 and Dazed 100. They live in New York and are represented by IMG and WME.
