Olivia Julianna

Olivia Julianna (born 2002/2003[lower-alpha 1] or November 17, 2002) is an American political activist, abortion rights advocate, and strategist from Texas. She is the director of Politics & Government Affairs for Gen-Z for Change. She focuses on using social media to encourage civic engagement on topics such as abortion rights and climate pollution. She is named one of the 50 Most Influential people who defined 2022 by Bloomberg Media.

Olivia Julianna
Born2002/2003,[1][lower-alpha 1] or (2002-11-17) November 17, 2002
Alma materUniversity of Houston–Victoria
OccupationActivist
OrganizationGen-Z for Change
Known forAbortion activism, LGBTQ+ activism, political strategy
HonoursBloomberg 50 Most Influential

Early life and education

Olivia Julianna was reported to have born around 2002/2003,[1][lower-alpha 1] while she declared she was born on November 17, 2002.[3] She lives in Houston, Texas.[1] She goes by her first and middle name publicly for safety.[2] She identifies as a "queer, plus-size, disabled Latina" and is a fourth-generation Texan.[4] She is of Mexican-American descent.[5] She attended University of Houston–Victoria where she majored in Political Science. As of February 2023, she plans to graduate with a bachelor's degree in 2024. She credits the American Rescue Plan for sending her to college, allowing her to become the first person in her family to graduate from college.[6][7]

Activism

It wasn't until mid-2021 that Julianna considered herself a political activist.[5] She uses social media for her posts about election results, political causes, and activism. She is most active on TikTok and Twitter, with an audience of over 1 million, as of 2022, across all her social platforms.[8]

Gen-Z for Change

As a digital content creator, Julianna began developing political social media content during the 2020 United States presidential election.[9] Julianna became involved with Gen-Z for Change.[9] In October 2022, she became its director of politics and government affairs.[9] This is a collective of Gen-Z activists that use social media to raise awareness and fundraise for causes.[10]

Fight against Texas Right to Life

Texas Right to Life, a statewiode anti-abortion group, created a way to anonymously report abortions.[11] This Senate Bill 8 allows anyone to sue those who perform an abortion, or helps someone access the procedure.[12] She posted a video on TikTok in which she explained that people could submit any content as a way. The website ultimately crashed, and the hosting site ended its relationship with Texas Right to Life.[13]

Abortion funds

In July 2022, US Republican Congressman representative Matt Gaetz tweeted criticism directed at Julianna and publicly made comments about her body at the Turning Point USA summit in Florida.[14][15][16] She then rallied her Twitter followers to donate money into an abortion fund, and supporters donated more than $2 million to the Gen-Z for Choice Abortion Fund.[17][18]

Recognition

In December 2022, Bloomberg Media named her one of the 50 Most Influential people who defined 2022.[19] She also attended the 2023 State of the Union Address as a guest of U.S. representative Nanette Barragán.[20]

Notes
  1. According to an Associated Press report, she was born around 2002/2003[2]

References
  1. "A teen says she was body-shamed by Rep. Matt Gaetz. She took it as an opportunity". MSNBC. July 27, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  2. Stengle, Jamie; Ortutay, Barbara (September 7, 2021). "Activists focus on tip site in protesting Texas abortion law". Associated Press. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  3. Olivia Julianna [@0liviajulianna] (September 6, 2021). "My 19th birthday is November 17th and I want to spend the month of November raising money for a Texas based non-profit. Does anyone have any suggestions?" (Tweet). Retrieved February 27, 2023 – via Twitter.
  4. Bass, Dina (December 14, 2022). "Olivia Julianna, the Young Activist Fighting for Abortion Rights". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  5. Dao, Dan Q. (November 3, 2022). "Olivia Julianna Wants to Turn Texas". Paper Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  6. "About Gen-Z for Change". Gen-Z for Change. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  7. Bass, Dina (December 14, 2022). "Olivia Julianna, the Young Activist Fighting for Abortion Rights". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  8. Dao, Dan Q. (November 3, 2022). "Olivia Julianna Wants to Turn Texas". Paper Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  9. Dao, Dan Q. (November 3, 2022). "Olivia Julianna Wants to Turn Texas". Paper Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  10. "About Gen-Z for Change". Gen-Z for Change. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  11. Stengle, Jamie; Ortutay, Barbara (September 7, 2021). "Activists focus on tip site in protesting Texas abortion law". Associated Press. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  12. Bowman, E (July 11, 2022). "As states ban abortion, the Texas bounty law offers a way to survive legal challenges". NPR.
  13. "Sugar Land TikTok star helps take down abortion reporting website: 'Fight for women'". ABC13 Houston. September 8, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  14. Dao, Dan Q. (November 3, 2022). "Olivia Julianna Wants to Turn Texas". Paper Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  15. Jones, Dustin (July 28, 2022). "A Texas teen raises over $700,000 for abortions after Rep. Matt Gaetz mocked her". NPR. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  16. Bass, Dina (December 14, 2022). "Olivia Julianna, the Young Activist Fighting for Abortion Rights". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  17. Rahman, Khaleda (February 8, 2023). "Matt Gaetz confronted at State of the Union by activist he body-shamed". Newsweek. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  18. "Matt Gaetz confronted by activist he body-shamed at State of the Union". The Independent. February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  19. "Bloomberg 50: The People and Ideas That Defined Global Business in 2022". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  20. Rahman, Khaleda (February 8, 2023). "Matt Gaetz confronted at State of the Union by activist he body-shamed". Newsweek. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.