Dazed 100-er and hit star of Pose Indya Moore last night paid homage to lives of all the American trans women who have been murdered this year on the red carpet – through a bespoke pair of earrings.
The long gold earrings were decorated with 16 ornate frames, each holding the picture of those who have been killed in the US this year.
Moore wore the statement piece to collect a Daily Front Row Cover of the Year award, which they won for their recent cover of Elle. They are the first transgender person to grace the cover of the American magazine, after Hari Nef featured on the cover of Elle UK in 2016. They accepted the award in honour ‘of the truth that the best award and the award we all deserve is to be able to get home safe’ – as they later posted on Instagram.
Designed by Areeayl Yoseefaw aka @beadsbyaree, the earrings are a variation on the jewellery maker’s ‘keepsake’ earings. Taking to Instagram, Yoseefaw wrote: “Indya Moore’s jewellery served as an altar… In their hour of celebration, they put their sisters in the forefront. They spoke for those who cannot and became a light for everyone.”
“Right now the Supreme Court (is) voting on whether or not trans people can access employment, shelter, and healthcare in the same ways that you all have access,” Moore said in their speech. Often using Instagram to raise awareness of the mistreatment and violence aimed towards the transgender community, they recently posted a screenshot detailing the news of two young black transgender women who were murdered. One, Bailey Reeves, was killed after the earrings were made. In their memory, Moore carried a frame with Reeves’s face in it.
Reflecting on the night Moore later wrote: “Just like me these women dare to exhaust their freedom to exist by being visible, however, instead of being celebrated, they were punished for it. An existence that requires bravery is not freedom. A life that requires bravery is not free.”