House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy slams rising attacks on trans rights: ‘So deeply sad’

Non-binary actor Emma D’Arcy, who rose to stardom in hit series House of the Dragon, has opened up about how they’re using their platform to champion trans rights.

After captivating viewers with their portrayal of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, d’Arcy is joining a raft of trans and non-binary stars such as Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) who are advocating for better trans representation in the industry.

The Golden-Globe-nominated star has previously spoken about shaping Rhaenyra around their non-binary identity, their discomfort with gendered award categories, and memorably sent queer women into a tailspin by discussing their love for the cocktail, negroni sbagliato.

Now, in an interview with British Vogue’s July Pride issue, d’Arcy has slammed the state of trans rights in the UK, and talked about their hopes of inspiring the next generation of LGBTQ+ creatives.

“In the past couple of years, transphobia has become broadly more acceptable,” they said, referring to so-called gender-critical feminists.

“I tell you what though, the gender critical title took me by surprise. I thought I was the one who was critical of gender.

“We are in a scary period of contraction, especially where trans rights are concerned,” they continued. “I feel deeply sad about the vitriol levelled against trans and gender non-conforming people.

“I’m also incredibly aware that if I feel like this, as a white non-binary person, I know how much more hostile the environment is for trans women and for trans people of colour.”

However, d’Arcy, remains optimistic about the industry becoming more inclusive.

“I had a really strong belief that there probably wasn’t space in the mainstream industry to be gender-non-conforming and an actor,” they admitted. “I suddenly needed to reckon with that… and I was wrong.”

Now they hope to blaze a trail for the next generation of non-binary actors. “Being visible as a non-binary person is the only meaning I can see in having a public profile.

“My hope is that the more trans people and gender-non-conforming people who are visible in this industry, the more hopeful young people in the community will feel about the opportunities available to them.”