In high school, Leah Juliett was a victim of revenge porn. Ashamed that their body was used as a commodity without their consent, they stayed silent for years. When they finally mustered the courage to speak out, they realized that sharing their experience had the power to change the narrative for fellow victims of cyber sexual abuse. In reclaiming their voice, Leah founded March Against Revenge Porn, an international digital advocacy organization dedicated to eradicating image abuse through protest marches and legislative action. Through March Against Revenge Porn, Leah uncovered statistics from the Data & Society Research Institute that revealed a disproportionate number of LGBTQ+ individuals are victimized by revenge porn (as compared to their heterosexual counterparts) – mirroring the physical and sexual violence facing queer people every day. As a non-binary individual, Leah believes it is critical for the world to see people like them survive internet abuse and go on to achieve incredible things. Under their leadership, March Against Revenge Porn successfully utilized media advocacy to reach global audiences over two million through video campaigns. Leah’s marches impacted the lives of millions more, helping to pass key legislation and reminding the public that the stories of internet abuse survivors deserve to be heard and shared.
Being a L'Oréal Paris Woman of Worth allows me to honor my younger self, who did not believe they would survive their teenage years, let alone live to see this type of recognition. This is a reminder to other LGBTQ+ folks and victims of sexual abuse that we have the power to take a stand against the people that harm us.