Leah Juliett

Leah Juliett
Juliett in 2022
Born
Leah Ann Ciccone

(1997-01-30) January 30, 1997 (age 27)
Alma materWestern Connecticut State University
Known forActivism
HonoursL'Oreal Paris Woman of Worth

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 Magazine,[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 LGBTQ+ 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

Year Association Award Result Citation
2021 The Advocate Champion of Pride Won [47]
George H.W. Bush Points of Light Daily Point of Light Won [21]
2020 L'Oreal Paris Woman of Worth Won [19]
2018 GLAAD Rising Star Won [18]
Delta Air Lines Accelerating Acceptance Award Won [2]
Glamour College Woman of the Year Won [48]
NGLJA Excellence in Journalism Won [31]

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

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ a b "We Should All Know the Names of These LGBTQ Changemakers". Teen Vogue. 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  3. ^ "Meet Leah Juliett: Pageant Queen, Poet, Activist and Author – Connecticut Voice". ctvoice.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  4. ^ "This Pride Month & Beyond, We Need Safe & Inclusive Workplaces for ALL". TIME'S UP Foundation. 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Naked in Public|Paperback". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  7. ^ a b c "Leah Juliett Shares What It's Like To Come Out Three Times". L'Oréal Paris. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  8. ^ a b Chaiken, Mike. "In the Wings: Leah Juliett, Miss Greater Waterbury, returns with a cause | Republican-American". Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  9. ^ Grant, Keisha (26 November 2020). "'Women of Worth' Honoree From Wolcott Fights Cyber Sexual Abuse". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  10. ^ Begnal, Martin (22 February 2015). "Teens punch hole in 'Wolcott bubble' | Republican American Archives". Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  11. ^ "Department Alumni – Social Sciences". www.wcsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  12. ^ Kirby, Rich (July 16, 2018). "WCSU Senior Named a 2018 College Woman of the Year by Glamour". The Patch. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Juliett, Leah (2019-03-28), How I Survived Revenge Porn, retrieved 2022-12-30
  14. ^ Roberts, Laura (March 28, 2017). "CT college student leading movement, founding march against revenge porn". fox61.com. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  15. ^ O'Brien, Sara Ashley (2017-03-24). "The 20-year-old leading the March Against Revenge Porn". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  16. ^ "There's A March Against Revenge Porn Coming Up In NYC". Bustle. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  17. ^ Her nude photos leaked online. Now she's fighting back, retrieved 2022-12-30
  18. ^ a b "Rising Stars Grants at the Concert for Love & Acceptance | GLAAD". www.glaad.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  19. ^ a b "Leah Juliett". L'Oréal Paris. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ a b Mallon, Morganne. "Activist Fights Revenge Porn Through Leading National Protests". Points of Light. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  22. ^ "Champions of Pride 2021 From New England". www.advocate.com. 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  23. ^ "We went to Buzzfeed's queer prom, the biggest event for LGBTQ teens". Very Good Light. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  24. ^ "Ali Goldstein on LinkedIn: #AllLoveisWorthIt – Leah Juliett". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  25. ^ #AllLoveisWorthIt – Leah Juliett, retrieved 2022-12-30
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ "'Songs of Solidarity' aims to raise funds, honor victims of Colorado Springs shooting". WTNH.com. 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ "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.
  30. ^ "Open letter to Congress on gun reform: GLAAD Campus Ambassadors speak out". GLAAD. 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  31. ^ a b "NLGJA Announces 2018 Excellence in Journalism Award Recipients – NLGJA". Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  32. ^ "Why Revenge Porn Needs Its Own #MeToo Movement". Glamour. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  33. ^ a b "Naked In Public: What Being Exposed Online Taught Me About Fatness And Gender | Salty". 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  34. ^ "My Body Is Not Sorry". MTV. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  35. ^ "Naked in Public – by Leah Juliett (Paperback)". www.target.com. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  36. ^ "Leah Juliett". GLAAD. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  37. ^ "40th Anniversary | University Student Legal Service". sls.umn.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  38. ^ "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.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ Chaiken, Mike (2022-03-02). "Seeking to be an agent of change within Miss America". CTFashionMag. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  41. ^ "In Miss America's 100th Year, Queer and Trans Beauty Queens Want the Crown". Teen Vogue. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  42. ^ "Sierra DeMulder Crafts a Poem for Her Niece". www.adweek.com. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  43. ^ Lavender (2021-09-23). "Just Break Up: Unsolicited Relationship Advice for the Masses | Lavender Magazine". Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  44. ^ "Sierra DeMulder". Sierra DeMulder. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  45. ^ "Amazon Music". Amazon Music. 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  46. ^ "There They Are: Breaking the Binary of Pageants". DuVide Media. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  47. ^ "Champions of Pride 2021 From New England". www.advocate.com. 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  48. ^ "Meet the 'Glamour' 2018 College Women of the Year". Glamour. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-30.