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One in four LGBTQ Americans will be a hate-crime victim, Murphy said in accepting an Emmy for The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
In accepting an Emmy for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, gay producer-director Ryan Murphy took the opportunity to raise awareness of hate crimes against LGBTQ people.
When the miniseries won the Emmy for Best Limited Series or TV Movie, Murphy took the stage and said, "The Assassination of Gianni Versace is about a lot of things, it's about homophobia, internalized and externalized. One of out of every four LGBTQ people in this country will be the victim of a hate crime. We dedicate this award to them, to awareness, to stricter hate-crime laws, and mostly, this is for the memory of Jeff and David and Gianni and for all of those taken too soon."
Besides Versace, the famed fashion designer, the men Murphy cited were Jeff Trail and David Madsen, both, like Versace, gay men murdered by serial killer Andrew Cunanan in 1997. Cunanan, who was also gay, killed himself a few days after Versace's death, as police were closing in on him.
Murphy also received an Emmy for directing a limited series, for the show's episode "The Man Who Would be Vogue." In accepting that award, he thanked the women in his life. Darren Criss, who played Cunanan, won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series. "I am profoundly indebted to my friend Ryan Murphy for entrusting me with this opportunity of a lifetime and for believing in me," said Criss, who previously appeared in another Murphy series, Glee, as well.
The actor went on to thank his mother, his father, and his fiancee, producer Mia Swier. "Unlike the character I played, I was lucky enough to be raised in a home that was very loving and emphasized the value of hard work, compassion, and not taking yourself too seriously," he said.
