7 images of ACT UP NY taking to the streets at a queer Palestine rally saying ‘SILENCE=DEATH’

ACT UP NYC participated in a rally last weekend calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, reviving some of its historic slogans in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The group marched in Manhattan alongside organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace NYC and the NYC Palestinian Youth Movement to take a stand against pinkwashing.

"We refuse to stand by idly as a mass genocide is being committed with our tax dollars, tax dollars that could be spent on HIV/AIDS research, treatment and prevention," ACT UP wrote in a post to its Instagram.

ACT UP took its first action for Palestine on World AIDS Day in December and has now had its bloc at several protests across New York City. The group first used its iconic pink triangle symbol in a watermelon at the World AIDS Day rally, while reviving their "Fund Healthcare, Not Warfare" slogan. The phrase was originally created in 1991 by the group to protest policies during the Persian Gulf War.

Organizers also used the group's iconic “SILENCE=DEATH” logo, invented by Gran Fury in 1987 around the time of ACT UP's founding. The grassroots political action group's activism is widely credited with spurring the development of HIV treatments and forcing the U.S. government to acknowledge the AIDS epidemic after years of silence.

"We love borrowing from our legacy here at ACT UP to re-inspire younger generations," a spokesperson for ACT UP NYC told The Advocate via email.

Since Hamas' October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and another 240 taken hostage, Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed over 23,000 Palestinians — more than 1.2 percent of the total population. Almost 2 million people have been displaced, accounting for 90 percent of Gaza's population. The vast majority of the dead are women and children, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health and reported by NPR.

"Over 22,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been slaughtered under the guise of safety for queer people, but we say no to pinkwashing!" ACT UP's Instagram post continued. "As queer people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and allies, we say 'not in our names!'”

"Pinkwashing" is a term that refers to the strategy of promoting LGBTQ+ rights as a way to distract from violence against other communities. The term has been applied to Israel by activists, as its government frequently promotes the country as a safe-haven for LGBTQ+ people in the Middle East, despite same-sex marriage not being legal. Interfaith marriage is also not legal in Israel.

See more of the powerful photos from ACT UP's rally below. Photos are courtesy of ACT UP NYC/Alexa Blair Wilkinson