Leah Juliett

Leah Juliett
Juliett in 2022
Born	Leah Ann Ciccone (1997-01-30) January 30, 1997 (age 27) Connecticut
Alma mater	Western Connecticut State University
Known for	Activism
Honours	L'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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

• March Against Revenge Porn, Inc.