LGBTQ+ Town Hall at WestConn Westside Campus, October 18th

BIOGRAPHY: Leah Juliett (L. Juliett) is an unapologetic nonbinary queer performer, poet, and political activist from the Greater New York area, Their activism primarily focuses on LGBTQIA+ discrimination, politics, and cyber civil rights.

WRITING: Leah’s political essays and poems have been published in numerous journals and online outlets, including Happiful Magazine, Palm Springs Pride Magazine, GLAAD, MTV News, and OutRight Action International. National poetry journals include Death in the Afternoon, The Manifest-Station, The Body Back Project. Leah is an alumni of the Brave New Voices International Slam Poetry Festival.

ACTIVISM: Leah is the Director and Founder of The March Against Revenge Porn, an international campaign raising awareness nonconsensual pornography distribution. The March Against Revenge Porn aims to create a community for revenge porn victims and allies, advocate for federal legislation changes, create a stigma-free dialogue about revenge porn, and incorporate nonconsensual pornography into United States public school cyber sex education. It is important to make the distinction between revenge porn and ordinary adult entertainment. Whereas adult entertainment found on websites such as fuckedgay has typically been made with the consent of everyone involved, revenge porn does not carry this explicit level of consent. Leah’s presentation “Reclaiming Cyber Shame” has been given at the University of Minnesota, The University of Connecticut, and Western Connecticut State University. For more information, visit: www.marchagainstrevengeporn.org

Leah currently works as a Senior Policy Intern at the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Previously, Leah has served as a District Intern at the United States House of Representatives under Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty. Leah also serves as a founding Campus Ambassador for GLAAD, and has been featured in their viral Seventeen Magazine LGBTQ video campaign. In May 2017, Leah joined GLAAD to present on activism in the digital age at the Human Rights Campaign “Time to Thrive” Conference in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Leah has been trained in GLAAD”s official Media Training Institute.

In the fall of 2016, Leah completed an internship in Communications with OutRight Action International, the only LGBTIQ organization with affiliation with the United Nations. During the internship, Leah utilized both communication and activism skills to analyze global human rights abuses- and had the opportunity to attend the highest level meeting regarding LGBTQ issues in the history of the United Nations.

Leah’s can be seen discussing queer issues and revenge porn on CNN, Teen Vogue, The Daily Mail, Women’s Health Magazine, Refinery 29, Refinery 29: Queer Voices, Happiful Magazine, Palm Springs Pride Magazine, Seventeen Magazine, Popsugar, The New Day Show, MTV News, BBC: World Have Your Say, Fox 61, La Repubblica, Sky News, The Ithaca College Chronicle, and the Canadian Television Network,. Additional brief features in Buzzfeed, Attitude Magazine, and The Huffington Post.

Leah has previously served as a national brand ambassador for Feminist Apparel.

Since 2012, Leah has been working with national and regional LGBTQ+ organizations, including PFLAG, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, The True Colors Organization, Boston Pride, New York Heritage of Pride, The Ally Coalition, and The Human Rights Campaign. In 2015, Leah served as a social media ambassador for Instagram’s critically acclaimed “Visible Me” campaign. Leah has also worked with The Connecticut Department of Justice on their LGBTQ “It Gets Better Campaign”. In 2016, Leah served as a national brand ambassador for Feminist Apparel.

EDUCATION: Leah is currently an undergraduate student studying Political Science, Justice and Law Administration, and Conflict Resolution at Western Connecticut State University- expected graduation December 2018. Following school, Leah plans to pursue a career in civil rights law and social justice. Leah is a Dean’s List scholar and member of the Kathwari Honors Program. Additionally, Leah is the recipient of the Arthur & Alberta Rosien Memorial Scholarship for Political Science, the Dena M. Castricone scholarship, the David Knapp scholarship, and member of the 2017 Hancock Student Leadership cohort.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING: Leah has recieved LGBTQ+ media training from the GLAAD Media Institute, and leadership training from the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Conference (alumni 2013). Leah served as a staff member at the 2014 and 2015 Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Seminars. Additionally, Leah served on the Future Corps leadership team of the Brave New Voices 2017 International Slam Poetry Competition.