The actor has joined activists and lawmakers gathering outside the White House
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY LAURENCE AGRON VIA DREAMSTIME
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has left many around the world wanting to help in whatever ways they can. We’ve seen lesbian activist group The Dyke Project hack 100 Transport For London advertisement boards to share stories of queer Palestinians. The group has also been involved in several protests calling for a ceasefire and an end to the conflict. And around the world, there have been record numbers of marches and protests all calling for the same resolution.
And on Monday morning (27 November), local elected officials and activists from Jewish Voice For Peace, the Campaign for Palestinian Rights, If Not Now, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Adalah Justice Project, Dream Defenders, the Institute for Middle East Understanding and the Democratic Socialists of America gathered in front of the White House to announce a five-day hunger strike for ceasefire in Gaza. Actor Cynthia Nixon used her celebrity status and platform to bring more attention to the strike by joining the strikers for two days (Monday and Tuesday).
The strikers will gather outside the White House daily between 9 am and 7 pm until Friday (1 December). New York Rep. Zohran Mamdani, Delaware State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, Virginia Rep. Sam Rasoul, Oklahoma Rep. Mauree Turner (who is queer), and Michigan Rep. Abraham Aiyash. Reps. Zohran Mamdani and Madinah Wilson-Anton are among the half dozen participants who have committed to avoiding food for the entirety of the strike. The rest will fast for less days but take daily shifts.
Israel and Hamas have declared a four-day temporary ceasefire that began on 28 November and has been extended for two more days, to allow for the release of hostages and prisoners. However there is much concern that once the “temporary” pause closes, the violence will continue, potentially at an ever greater intensity.
Cynthia’s decision to join the hunger strike comes amid a time when other actors in Hollywood have been publicly punished for advocating for Palestine. Among them are bisexual actor Susan Sarandon, who was recently dropped by her talent agency, United Talent Agency, for speaking at a pro-Palestine protest and Melissa Barrera who was fired from the upcoming Scream film due to her pro-Palestine social media posts.
This is not the first time Cynthia has spoken out on the conflict. She was one of more than 260 artists who signed an open letter calling for President Biden and Congress to commit to a ceasefire.
Recently, Cynthia shared her motivation to leverage her voice for this cause: “Two of my three children are Jewish. My oldest son in particular is extremely involved in the movement for justice for Palestinians and has been very active in Chicago, where he lives and was arrested for his protest about a week and a half ago.
When this was starting, we spent a lot of time on the phone with him. He was doing everything he could in terms of protests, speeches, speaking in articles. He said to my wife and me point-blank, ‘You have a much bigger megaphone than I do. And I just implore you at this moment to do everything you can to bring attention to this.’ His Jewish identity is very central to him. He’s the grandson of two Holocaust survivors. He said, for him, ‘never again’ means never again for everyone.”
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