“And Just Like That” star Sara Ramirez was seen carrying a transgender flag as she joined thousands of protesters at a “Free Palestine” rally in Brooklyn on Saturday.
The 48-year-old non-binary actor wore a keffiyeh – a monochrome patterned scarf that is a patriotic symbol of Palestinian identity – with a black North Face jacket, black hat and dark sunglasses as they marched through the Bay Ridge neighborhood .
The use of LGBT paraphernalia in pro-Palestine protests has baffled many as the Islamic Middle Eastern country follows sharia law and, as Amnesty International has noted, is not safe for the queer community.
Others believe that the fight for gay rights and anti-colonialism are intertwined because the British first introduced anti-gay laws in Palestine in 1885 – although former colonial powers have since abolished such laws in their own countries.
Ramirez posted an Instagram story on Saturday about the protest, in which the crowd chanted the age-old rallying cry: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” while the protester in front of him carried a sign calling for a “ceasefire.” .
And Just Like That star Sara Ramirez was spotted among protesters at a Free Palestine rally in Brooklyn
The 48-year-old non-binary actor carried a flag with the trans colors of pink, baby blue and white as he joined thousands of people marching through the Bay Ridge neighborhood on Saturday. Ramirez uses the pronouns “they/them.”
Ramirez stars in the reboot of Sex and the City, And Just Like That, which features the original cast nearly 20 years after the final episode of the original series as well as new members. (Pictured: Ramirez (right) alongside Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda Hobbes in the series)
The bisexual actor, who plays Che Diaz in the SATC reboot, thanked Qween Jean – a transgender costume designer who has previously led Black Lives Matter protests – for leading the Brooklyn march.
Qween Jean also shared footage of himself leading the chant before panning to surrounding protesters, including Ramirez.
Images of Ramirez joining in the singing were shared by fan accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, which said the actor also shared resources on how to help Gaza and get involved on the ground.
At a march in London the same day, a group apparently carrying the Palestinian flag tore down an LGBT flag, sparking a conflict.
Palestine is not an LGBT-friendly country. An Amnesty report last year highlighted that “authorities have failed to prevent and investigate homophobic and transphobic threats and attacks in the country.”
The report describes an example of homophobia in the country: “On July 9 (2022), security forces stood by and watched as a mob beat youth and children taking part in a rainbow flag parade organized by the Ashtar Theater in Ramallah.”
“The attack came amid a wave of incitement to violence and hate speech against LGBTI people and feminists that has not been investigated by the authorities.”
Ramirez posted an Instagram story on Saturday about the protest, in which the crowd chanted the age-old rallying cry: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” while the protester in front of him carried a sign calling for a “ceasefire.” .
Admiration is not always mutual.
A group displaying the Palestine flag attacks and tramples an LGBT+ progressive flag on the ground, sparking conflict at today’s demonstration in London: pic.twitter.com/S2Ot5UVrl1
– Lois McLatchie Miller (@LoisMcLatch) October 21, 2023
Gay rights activist and Israeli writer Lior Halabi recently criticized the “hypocrisy” of supporting both causes in America’s oldest LGBT newspaper, the Washington Blade.
“Despite the dire situation for gay Palestinians facing legal and social abuse and even murder at the hands of Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, some US leftists and LGBTQ groups strangely still support the Free Palestine group,” Halabi wrote .
“While this group calls for the destruction of Israel, they allow their own LGBTQ people to be abused.”
The Bay Ridge protest in West Brooklyn began peacefully during the day, but as night fell, clashes broke out between demonstrators and NYPD officers, with the number increasing to an estimated 5,000 throughout the day.
“Say it loud, say it clearly, we don’t want Zionists here!” Cries of protest could be heard from inside the rally, which police largely confined to 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue.
“We will liberate Palestine in our lifetime!” others cried and held signs reading “We stand with Palestine” and “Once upon a time…there was humanity,” among other similar sentiments.
Some Jews were even seen at the planned protest, one of whom told ABC News that “as a Jewish person”[did not] “We want the Jewish religion to be the reason for this occupation.”
Another added, explaining why she was there: “[All we are asking is] Just treat Palestinians like people. They deserve every human right like any other civilian. Just treat a person like a person.
“That’s all we ask.”
Ramirez with And Just Like That co-star Sarah Jessica Parker on location earlier this year
The protest was preceded by another protest in Manhattan on Friday in which about 139 pro-Palestinians were handcuffed by a group organized by the Democratic Socialists of America for blocking traffic in Midtown.
As the protest reached its climax on Saturday evening, an Israeli plane hit a compound beneath a mosque in the occupied West Bank – a site the country’s military said was used by terrorists to organize attacks
Palestinian medics have confirmed that at least one person has been killed as Israel continues to shell the region following Hamas-led attacks earlier this week that killed at least 1,400 Israelis.