Trans and queer activists of the Palestinian diaspora are leading the movement against the horrific genocide in Gaza. With social media making their voices and stories internationally accessible, we should all heed their calls to action and support their work. Here are 10 trans and queer Palestinians—artists, activists, writers, influencers—to follow on social media to do just that.
1. Elias Jahshan
Elias Jahshan is a Palestinian-Lebanese Australian writer based in London. He is the editor of the 2022 anthology of LGBTQ+ Arab writers This Arab Is Queer, which was a Lambda Literary Award finalist.
2. George Abraham
George Abraham is a poet and performance artist in Massachusetts who is the executive editor of Mizna, a journal publishing Arab, Southwest Asian, and North African voices. Their 2020 debut poetry collection Birthright won the Arab American Book Award and was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Look for Heaven Looks Like Us: Palestinian Poetry coming in 2025.
3. Hannah Moushabeck
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Hannah Moushabeck is a book worker whose first picture book, Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine, came out in 2023. She is the co-owner of Interlink Publishing, the only Palestinian-owned book publisher in the U.S.
4. Jake Gyllenhalal
The activist who goes by the clever handle @officialjakegyllenhalal shares resources, educational content, mutual aid requests, and event info with her 93,000+ followers.
5. Juliet Orchid
Juliet Orchid is an interdisciplinary artist for justice and resistance, including work in music and theater. She is also a healer, chef, reiki practitioner, and educator.
6. Mama Ganuush
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Mama Ganuush is an artist and community organizer based in San Francisco. They are a drag performer and the co-founder of the HALA (Heritage Activists Liberation Artists) Collective, a queer group of over 40 activist-artists for intersectional liberation.
7. Marcelle G Afram
Marcelle G Afram is a chef who launched their pop-up Palestinian-inspired catering business, Shababi, in D.C. in 2021. He also co-founded Hospitality for Humanity, a group of Palestinian and allied food, beverage, and hospitality workers using their skills to help Gaza.
8. Noor Aldayeh
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Noor Aldayeh is a Jordanian-Palestinian-Syrian American photographer from Los Angeles now in New York City who is also an artist, writer, and scholar.
9. Xaytun Ennasr
Xaytun Ennasr is an artist and activist in D.C. Her work includes drawings, ceramics, and video games that center Palestinian liberation and intersectional resistance movements.
10. Yaffa
Mx. Yaffa is a poet and activist who has published multiple books whose sales benefit Palestinian causes—Blood Orange, Desecrated Poppies, Inara: Light of Utopia, and Whispers Beneath the Olive Grove. They’re also the executive director of the Muslim Alliance for Sexual & Gender Diversity which works to support, empower and connect LGBTQ+ Muslims. They travel extensively for poetry readings and other events so look for them in a town near you!