In an August 26, 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ryan Murphy, producer of American Horror Story: Hotel, refers to the vampirism of a new character—portrayed by Lady Gaga—as “an ancient blood virus” that is “really a form of hemophilia in a way.” The National Hemophilia Foundation has publicly condemned this description as inaccurate and offensive to the tens of thousands of people with hemophilia in the US and hundreds of thousands globally—and the many thousands more who love and care for them.
“Mr. Murphy made this sensational statement while trying to maximize publicity for his show’s new character and upcoming season,” said Val D. Bias, CEO of the National Hemophilia Foundation. “However, that is no excuse for making comments that are completely inaccurate and may confuse the majority of people who don’t understand hemophilia and, equally as important, are hurtful to members of the bleeding disorders community.”
NHF has written Mr. Murphy and executives at FX Network requesting that Mr. Murphy publicly acknowledge his misrepresentation and apologize to the community.
