Poet and activist
Leah Juliett (née Leah Ann Ciccone; born January 30, 1997)[ 1] is an American LGBTQ+ activist ,[ 2] spoken word poet ,[ 3] nonprofit leader ,[ 4] and award-winning philanthropist [ 5] from Connecticut . In 2021, Juliett released their debut collection of poetry, Naked in Public. [ 6] Juliett is nonbinary [ 7] and uses they/them/theirs pronouns .[ 8]
Early life and education
Juliett was born on January 30, 1997, in Waterbury, Connecticut .[ 9] They served as President of the Student Government and Gay-Straight Alliance at Wolcott High School[ 10] and attended Western Connecticut State University , where they majored in Political science with honors.[ 11] [ 12] Juliett was a victim of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and revenge porn when they were a teenager.[ 13]
Advocacy
In 2016, as a College Student , Juliett founded March Against Revenge Porn, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of technology-facilitated sexual abuse .[ 14] [ 15] On April 1, 2017, Juliett led a march across the Brooklyn Bridge that received national news coverage.[ 16] [ 17] In 2018, Juliett was recognized by Glamour Magazine as a College Woman of the Year, GLAAD Rising Star,[ 18] and was the 2018 recipient of the Delta Airlines Accelerating Acceptance grant. In 2020, Juliett was honored by L’Oreal Paris as a Woman of Worth[ 19] and was introduced by Academy Award winner Helen Mirren on primetime television .[ 20] Juliett is also a George H.W. Bush Point of Light ,[ 21] and in 2021 was named a "Champion of Pride" by The Advocate Magazine .[ 22]
In 2018, beauty publication Very Good Light noted that Juliett "shows courage beyond their years in fighting for LGBTQ rights."[ 23]
In June 2022, Juliett appeared in L'Oréal 's All Love is Worth It[ 24] campaign for Pride Month .[ 25]
In September 2022, Juliett's story was featured in the law book The Fight for Privacy by MacArthur Fellow Danielle Keats Citron .[ 26]
In December 2022, Juliett appeared on Good Morning Connecticut to announce they were organizing a benefit concert following the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs .[ 27] [ 28]
Career
Politics
From 2017 to 2019, Juliett worked in Congress for Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty , Senator Chris Murphy , and as a writer for Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer .[ 29] In 2018, Juliett wrote an open letter to Congress about gun violence that was signed by over 100 college activists from around the country.[ 30]
Writing
In 2018, Juliett was a recipient of an "Excellence in Journalism" award from the National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists .[ 31] Their writing has been published in Glamour Magazin e,[ 32] Salty World,[ 33] and MTV News.[ 34] In 2021, Juliett published their debut book of poetry, Naked in Public after their popular online essay of the same name.[ 35] [ 33] Juliett has also served as both an Ambassador and Writer for GLAAD .[ 36]
Speaking
In 2017, Juliett delivered a keynote speech at the University of Minnesota School of Law for their 40th anniversary.[ 37] In 2018, Juliett spoke at the GLAAD Media Awards at the Beverly Hills Hotel ,[ 38] and introduced American Olympian figure skater Adam Rippon at New York City Hall .[ 39]
Pageantry
Since 2020, Juliett has been actively involved in the Miss America organization through the Miss Connecticut competition,[ 40] [ 8] and has raised awareness for the need for increased representation of LGBT Q+ pageant candidates .[ 41] In 2022, Juliett announced their partnership with poet[ 42] and podcast host Sierra DeMulder[ 43] [ 44] and DuVide Media[ 45] to produce the podcast "There They Are", following Juliett's journey in pageantry.[ 46]
Awards and recognitions
Personal life
Juliett came out as gay when they were thirteen years old and nonbinary when they were nineteen years old.[ 7] In a 2021 interview with L'Oreal Paris, Juliett called themself a "liberated, unapologetically queer, fat, trans, tattooed, survivor of sexual violence living with mental illness".[ 7]
References
^ "Leah Juliett – Previously held position: Senate Democratic Media Center (March 2019-Dec. 2019) Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Writer – Biography | LegiStorm" . www.legistorm.com . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ a b "We Should All Know the Names of These LGBTQ Changemakers" . Teen Vogue . 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Meet Leah Juliett: Pageant Queen, Poet, Activist and Author – Connecticut Voice" . ctvoice.com . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "This Pride Month & Beyond, We Need Safe & Inclusive Workplaces for ALL" . TIME'S UP Foundation . 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Harris, Tori (2020-11-18). "L'Oréal Paris Celebrates Incredible Female Philanthropists With 'Women of Worth' NBC Special!" . We Are Entertainment News . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Noble, Barnes &. "Naked in Public|Paperback" . Barnes & Noble . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ a b c "Leah Juliett Shares What It's Like To Come Out Three Times" . L'Oréal Paris . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ a b Chaiken, Mike. "In the Wings: Leah Juliett, Miss Greater Waterbury, returns with a cause | Republican-American" . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Grant, Keisha (26 November 2020). " 'Women of Worth' Honoree From Wolcott Fights Cyber Sexual Abuse" . NBC Connecticut . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Begnal, Martin (22 February 2015). "Teens punch hole in 'Wolcott bubble' | Republican American Archives" . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Department Alumni – Social Sciences" . www.wcsu.edu . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Kirby, Rich (July 16, 2018). "WCSU Senior Named a 2018 College Woman of the Year by Glamour" . The Patch . Retrieved December 30, 2022 .
^ Juliett, Leah (2019-03-28), How I Survived Revenge Porn , retrieved 2022-12-30
^ Roberts, Laura (March 28, 2017). "CT college student leading movement, founding march against revenge porn" . fox61.com . Retrieved December 22, 2022 .
^ O'Brien, Sara Ashley (2017-03-24). "The 20-year-old leading the March Against Revenge Porn" . CNNMoney . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "There's A March Against Revenge Porn Coming Up In NYC" . Bustle . 25 March 2017. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Her nude photos leaked online. Now she's fighting back , retrieved 2022-12-30
^ a b "Rising Stars Grants at the Concert for Love & Acceptance | GLAAD" . www.glaad.org . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ a b "Leah Juliett" . L'Oréal Paris . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Leiber, Sarah Jae. "NBC and L'Oreal Paris Celebrate the Achievements of 10 WOMEN OF WORTH in Primetime Special" . BroadwayWorld.com . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ a b Mallon, Morganne. "Activist Fights Revenge Porn Through Leading National Protests" . Points of Light . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Champions of Pride 2021 From New England" . www.advocate.com . 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "We went to Buzzfeed's queer prom, the biggest event for LGBTQ teens" . Very Good Light . 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Ali Goldstein on LinkedIn: #AllLoveisWorthIt – Leah Juliett" . www.linkedin.com . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ #AllLoveisWorthIt – Leah Juliett , retrieved 2022-12-30
^ Citron, Danielle Keats (2022-09-13). The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age . W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-88232-2 .
^ " 'Songs of Solidarity' aims to raise funds, honor victims of Colorado Springs shooting" . WTNH.com . 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Chaiken, Mike (14 December 2022). " 'Songs of Solidarity' will warm hearts, raise funds in honor of Club Q victims | Republican-American" . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Leah Juliett – Previously held position: Senate Democratic Media Center (March 2019-Dec. 2019) Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Writer – Biography | LegiStorm" . www.legistorm.com . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Open letter to Congress on gun reform: GLAAD Campus Ambassadors speak out" . GLAAD . 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ a b "NLGJA Announces 2018 Excellence in Journalism Award Recipients – NLGJA" . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Why Revenge Porn Needs Its Own #MeToo Movement" . Glamour . 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ a b "Naked In Public: What Being Exposed Online Taught Me About Fatness And Gender | Salty" . 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "My Body Is Not Sorry" . MTV . Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Naked in Public – by Leah Juliett (Paperback)" . www.target.com . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Leah Juliett" . GLAAD . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "40th Anniversary | University Student Legal Service" . sls.umn.edu . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Speaker Leah Juliett attends GLAAD's 2018 Rising Stars luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on April 11, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California" . Getty Images . April 11, 2018.
^ Rutherford, Lynn (June 8, 2018). "ADAM RIPPON CELEBRATED WITH NYC COUNCIL PROCLAMATION FOR HIS SKATING ACHIEVEMENTS, LGBTQ ADVOCACY" . Team USA . Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2022 .
^ Chaiken, Mike (2022-03-02). "Seeking to be an agent of change within Miss America" . CTFashionMag . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "In Miss America's 100th Year, Queer and Trans Beauty Queens Want the Crown" . Teen Vogue . 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Sierra DeMulder Crafts a Poem for Her Niece" . www.adweek.com . 22 April 2016. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ Lavender (2021-09-23). "Just Break Up: Unsolicited Relationship Advice for the Masses | Lavender Magazine" . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Sierra DeMulder" . Sierra DeMulder . Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Amazon Music" . Amazon Music . 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022 .
^ "There They Are: Breaking the Binary of Pageants" . DuVide Media . Retrieved December 30, 2020 .
^ "Champions of Pride 2021 From New England" . www.advocate.com . 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
^ "Meet the 'Glamour' 2018 College Women of the Year" . Glamour . 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30 .
External links