- Documentary review: Frida Kahlo - 26 October, 2020
- Film review: Yes, God, Yes - 8 September, 2020
- Play review: Moment of Grace - 1 August, 2020
Following the brutal murder of George Floyd on the 25th May of this year, social media platforms have served as soapboxes of truth for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Centrist and rightwing mainstream media outlets have continuously depicted BLM as an ambiguous blur of riot police and impassioned young people, choosing to reduce coverage of protests to instances of violence rather than provide insightful educational resources.
Hence, people took their protest to social media. Such platforms are 21st century manifestations of freedom of speech, offering both a voice and willfully listening ears to anyone who creates an account – an obvious home for revolution.
While this equal opportunity to wax lyrical can often catalyse hate and encourage fake news (need I mention the dreaded T word), the BLM movement has witnessed a harnessing of social media to share experiences and encourage one another’s education.
Both people of colour and allies to the movement have come together, with a total of 22.3 million posts shared on Instagram alone using #blacklivesmatter. People have become awakened to the efficacy of their own voice.
Among the loudest and most pertinent of these voices is undoubtedly the 25-year-old Pose star and activist, Indya Moore. With a cool 1.1 million Instagram followers, they have become a beacon of wisdom throughout the most politically active Pride month of the decade.
Moore began their career as a model in New York City from the age of 15 and was stunting pretty on runways for the likes of Dior and Gucci before they turned their hand to acting.
Their breakout role in the FX series Pose shone a spotlight of international accolade to the transgender, non-binary star. With a spot on the Times 100 list in 2019, Moore’s amplified voice has become a beacon of andragogy for trans rights and visibility.
When COVID-19 descended upon the world, Moore took their break from filming the third season of Pose to help their community. This began with gathering and redistributing donations to people in need, such as those with disabilities, sex workers, and trans people of colour.
In an interview with Variety from early June, Moore said: “Queer trans folk don’t have family networks. Queer trans folk seldom have community outreach and Middle America, you know. Queer trans folk are always the last to receive any help. And that’s why it’s really important for me to put a focal point on it.”
This focal point of support for the trans community broadened to encompass black communities after that article was published. The BLM movement saw Moore take to social media to share anti-racism and anti-queerphobia resources with a ferocity that we could only hope to see from someone with such a platform.
Voices such as Moore’s are those that we should be especially attuned to during times like this. Voices of celebrities who are not afraid to sacrifice the curated aesthetic of their Instagram page to post infographics and donation resources.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBi38cYHhpp/
Voices of celebrities who are members of the communities they are fighting for and have lived through the experiences of hate they are campaigning to eradicate. While many allies have done their part to aid the BLM movement, figures such as Indya Moore are among the few who are unadulterated by virtue signalling.
Social media has played host to an abundance of information that has trumped the meek coverage provided by mainstream media. However, the old Gordian knot of source reliability remains.
We must be discerning in our sources of information on platforms that give voice to all. Following the likes of Indya Moore is a step in the right direction.
