Reneé Rapp made her thoughts on the conflict in Gaza clear Thursday night at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.
“We’re in a room of very influential people, very privileged people, which is exciting and also a huge privilege to be a part of that,” Rapp said during a speech to accept her award from the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization for outstanding music artist. “Having said that, I’d like to take the opportunity to show support and call for an immediate cease-fire and permanent cease-fire in Gaza.”
Referencing notes on her phone, Rapp—who is a musician in addition to an actor, and took a star turn in the movie musical adaptation of Mean Girls—urged the audience “to continue to advocate for yourselves, continue to advocate for your friends, for your queer friends and for those who can’t advocate for themselves.”
Her firm message regarding the Israel-Hamas war was met with audience applause.
The 24-year-old, whose acting credits also include TV’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, is no stranger to sharing her opinions, whether she’s talking about being “ageist” against millennials or alleging a tour bus operator was a “disrespectful” and “misogynistic” “asshole.” (The driver, in turn, claimed that Rapp owed him money.) Elsewhere during the ceremony, while introducing GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, Rapp said onstage that “living as my authentic self and as an out queer artist and a lesbian most recently is the most rewarding, validating, scary, and exciting experience I’ve ever had.”
Rapp isn’t the only entertainment-industry honoree to use her platform to speak out about the ongoing situation. At last weekend’s Oscars 2024, a number of stars, including Ramy Youssef, Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, and many more, wore red Artists4Ceasefire lapel pins to show their support for a cease-fire, and protesters partially blocked traffic in front of the Dolby Theatre where the ceremony was held.
Jonathan Glazer, who accepted the Oscar for best international feature for The Zone of Interest, also used his acceptance speech at the Oscars to comment on the conflict, condemning the “Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.” Some misunderstood the director’s phrasing, leading to a postshow controversy.