“Orange is the New Black” star Matt McGorry trounced people on Twitter for using the hashtag #AllLivesMatter.
In a string of tweets Friday, the actor weighed in on the Black Lives Matter movement.
McGorry, who has been known to speak out about feminism and transgender issues, used his social media presence to discuss how the phrase, “All Lives Matter” undermines the efficacy of the movement, Entertainment Weekly reports.
According to the movement’s website, the movement was originally generated to give prominence to the injustice against the black population.
Since its creation, #BlackLivesMatter has acted as “a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society.” The hashtag was created in 2012 after the death of seventeen year old Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman.
(1) For people who think they are being more inclusive by saying #AllLivesMatter in response to #BlackLivesMatter , they are in reality
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(2) (un)consciously undermining the purpose of the movement because THIS particular movement is about SPECIFIC issues, as any decently
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(3) effective movement is. For example, it's hard to have an effective protest that's about gender equality, animal rights, racial equality,
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(4) and saving the environment because that's not how getting shit done works. But I've never seen #AllLivesMatter promoted by someone who
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(5) actually fights for social justice. So someone getting up in arms bc of #BlackLivesMatter while they sit on the sidelines and do little
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(6) to nothing for Black lives or anyone's other than their own is probably not actually promoting that "All Lives Matter (Equally)" as
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(7) much as they're trying to take down the idea that #blacklivesmatter" and denying its necessity and value. So. Show me the person who
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(8) spends their life fighting for all lives ACTUALLY mattering and who says #AllLivesMatter and I'll show you a world where people are
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(9) treated like they actually do (neither of those things as far as I've seen). Now I don't know much about all of this but I know enough
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
(10) to not consciously or unconsciously undermine a very needed movement that promotes EQUALITY. #BlackLivesMatter #EricGarner
— Matt McGorry (@MattMcGorry) July 18, 2015
One tweet read, “#BlackLivesMatter doesn’t mean other lives don’t. Like people who say ‘Save the Rainforests’ aren’t saying ‘Fuck All Other Types of Forests.'”
Another said, “The movement is about SPECIFIC issues, as any decently effective movement is. For example, it’s hard to have an effective protest that’s about gender equality, animal rights, racial equality, and saving the environment because that’s not how getting shit done works.”
To further his point, the actor posted a screenshot of his tweet on his Instagram account.
On both Twitter and Instagram, McGorry wrote, “I’ve never seen #AllLivesMatter promoted by someone who actually fights for social justice…Show me the person who spends their life fighting for all lives ACTUALLY mattering and who says #AllLivesMatter and I’ll show you a world where people are treated like they actually do.”