Glee creator Ryan Murphy to donate all profits from new TV show Pose to LGBTQ charities
Ryan Murphy (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Glee creator Ryan Murphy is giving all of the proceeds from his new show to LGBTQ charities.
The out screenwriter behind Glee and American Crime Story has a new show coming out next month – and it sounds like his most important creation yet.
Upcoming show Pose is set in 1980s New York, and portrays life in the city’s iconic queer ballroom culture, as most famously portrayed in the film Paris is Burning.
The show features the most transgender actors of any TV show in recent history, as well as a diverse behind-the-camera crew.
Murphy has now announced that all proceeds from the show will be going to LGBTQ charities.
(Frederick M. Brown/Getty)
He tweeted: “I am donating 100 percent of my profits from my new FX show Pose towards trans and LGBTQ charitable organizations. These groups do amazing work and need our support.
“Every day for the next 14 days I will highlight a group I’m supporting, and encourage you to do the same!”
The first announced benefactor is The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, named in honour of transgender LGBT rights pioneer Sylvia Rivera.
Murphy added: “SRLP works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence.”
The TV creator can probably afford to donate the proceeds of the FX show, given the reach of his lucrative TV empire.
In addition to Pose, Murphy’s anthology shows American Horror Story, American Crime Story and Feud are currently all enjoying success, as is procedural 9-1-1.
Murphy also recently signed a golden handcuffs deal that will see him develop new shows exclusively for Netflix.
Ryan Murphy (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Belvedere)
Murphy – whose existing shows air on Fox-owned networks – announced the new deal with Netflix in February , promising that his upcoming shows for the streaming giant will continue to “champion LGBTQ heroes and heroines.”
Murphy said: “The history of this moment is not lost on me.
“I am a gay kid from Indiana who moved to Hollywood in 1989 with $55 dollars in savings in my pocket, so the fact that my dreams have crystallised and come true in such a major way is emotional and overwhelming to me.
“I am awash in genuine appreciation for Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings and Cindy Holland at Netflix for believing in me and the future of my company which will continue to champion women, minorities and LGBTQ heroes and heroines, and I am honoured and grateful to continue my partnership with my friends and peers at Fox on our existing shows.”
He has at least two upcoming Netflix shows in development, The Politician and Ratched.
Ryan Murphy (Andrew Toth/Getty Images for The New Yorker)
Speaking about Pose, Murphy said: “Along with being a dance musical and an affirming look at American life in the 1980s, I’m so proud that Pose and FX has made history right from the beginning by featuring the most trans series regular actors ever in an American television production.
“Additionally, the first season Pose will feature 50-plus LGBTQ characters — a record in American television history. I can’t wait for people to see this incredibly talented, passionate cast.”
FX boss John Landgraf said: “In the 15 years we’ve worked with Ryan, he has demonstrated time and again that every person’s story is joyful, illuminating, and must to be told.
Ryan Murphy (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty)
“With Pose, Ryan, and his producing partners Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals, introduce us to a new group of characters whose talent, life force, and self-made community is greater than the daunting obstacles created by a society that can be threatened by their native identities.
Dana Walden and Gary Newman of Fox Television Group added: “A decade ago, Ryan brought us the groundbreaking pilot script for Glee, a show that celebrated underdogs, proudly showcased a completely diverse cast of unknown actors and led the way for new norms of inclusion and diversity on television
“In Pose, Ryan has again, with his gifted collaborators, placed a spotlight on people who have been marginalised in society, bringing together emotional stories and a hugely talented cast in an inspirational series.”
