The non-binary actor Sara Ramirez, known for their roles in Grey's Anatomy and And Just Like That (the sequel series to Sex and the City), came out against prominent Hollywood figures on Wednesday who, according to them, silence entertainment industry workers supporting Gaza and a cease-fire.
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Taking to Instagram, Ramirez published a lengthy and pointed post: "Our industry is so duplicitous. While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again.
“While they lift up some of their own clients who have spoken up against this genocide, they are firing and letting others who have smaller platforms go. While they award 'lgbtq orgs', they are silent on those orgs ties to weapons manufacturers who are currently supporting the Israel military as it commits genocide on Palestinian lives that include LGBTQIA2S+ lives.”
Ramirez added, “I get it. Awards are shiny and people need to pay their rent or feel special and powerful. Meanwhile we are beyond the 100 day mark on this ‘war’ that has been acknowledged by many as a genocide. It’s wild how performative so many in Hollywood are. Even more performative than the last character I played.”
The post refers in its last sentence to Ramirez’s role in the past tense, causing some of the readers to wonder whether the actor claims to have been fired from And Just Like That following their explicit support for Gaza and the Palestinians.
Ramirez did not hide their opinions and participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Their Instagram page also features posts encouraging donations to Gaza and pictures of themselves with Palestinian flags.
An hour after the post, Ramirez posted again, acknowledging and thanking all their supporters: "This is about being human and showing up with courage and curiosity no matter how bumpy the road there gets.”
Another star of the series, Cynthia Nixon, has also expressed her opposition to Israel and support for Palestine since the beginning of the war. Back in November, during a demonstration held outside the White House, she claimed that Hollywood is blacklisting Palestinian supporters.
"It doesn’t make any sense. We just keep getting this message that Palestinian lives are of less value. Immediately when you substitute British lives or American lives or any other nationality, you immediately see that’s crazy, how could we ever?"
UK-based news outlet Daily Mail reached out to Ramirez and the showrunner of And Just Like That, Michael Patrick King, but has not received a response.