Indya Moore is undeniably one of the breakout stars of the popular FX series Pose, but before getting her big break, the actress struggled through some seriously hard times.

In her Elle Magazine June 2019 cover story, Moore, a proud transgender woman, bravely shared that she was coerced into sex trafficking when trying to pay for her female hormones.

"I didn't understand what sex trafficking was at the time," she said. "The language I knew was that they were, basically, my pimps. I was just a kid."

Giving some background into her childhood, Moore, a native of the South Bronx, said that while struggling with her identity as a child and dealing with the instability of the foster care system, she turned to the internet at 16 to find hormones to aid in her transition. She said that that is when she linked with people on Facebook who "could help me to get the money that I needed to be a woman." 

"They told me that all I had to do was play with these men who will come in for a moment to see me and play with me and then they'll give me money," she said. "I stayed with them, and they had men come over and have sex with me."

Moore added that they told her she "needed to do it continuously so that I could afford hormones."

The actress added that she even continued having sex for money after a boyfriend's family took her in so that she could assist with food and living expenses. After going on to experience a series of heartbreaking challenges, including spending time on Rikers Island for an assault charge and being forced to serve time at an all-male facility, the actress’ fate changed when she earned the role of a lifetime.

"I just knew my life was going to change," she said on learning she booked the gig on Pose. "I knew I had a chance to teach the world something that would help more people be safe."

Now, Moore has become the first-ever transgender cover star in Elle Magazine's history. Read her full feature, here.