Young feminist defies misogyny
Olivia Julianna rises to prominence after raising $2 million for abortion funds
When Congressman Matt Gaetz picked a fight with 20-year-old Olivia Julianna, he never expected that it would lead to her raising nearly $2 million for abortion funds as a result.
“He really did pick the wrong teenager to try to intimidate because I'm not one to shy away from confrontation,” Julianna
Julianna, a social media star and Texas native, is a rising star in the repro rights movement. She boasts hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok. Her posts have been engaged millions of times.
But it's the mettle and temerity that make her an heir to the legacy of a long line of defiant feminists. She is a great role model for other young women who may be terrified to endure the same things. That’s precisely what the movement needs from the youth.
Julianna currently serves as the director of politics and government affairs at Gen Z for Change, a group that seeks to empower its generation through education and civic engagement. They are perhaps the best in the movement at using the power of social media to drive progressive change and hold those in power accountable.
Julianna began her career in activism when she was 17. She had a social media platform and decided to focus on SB 8 when it passed. That’s the bill that restricted abortion in Texas to six weeks.
A group called Texas Right to Life created a tip line asking people to report individuals who helped people get an abortion. Julianna asked her Tik Tok followers to inundate the tip line with phony tips. The reproductive justice movement embraced and welcome her after that.
“Ever since then, I've just used my platform to consistently talk about reproductive health care and abortion access as often as I can and uplift any call to action,” Julianna said.
Julianna thinks it’s the refusal to kowtow to the other side that makes her so popular on social media.
“A lot of times we’re expected to shy away from confrontation at the hands of people seeking to oppress or harm our identities,” Julianna said. “And I don't play that game. I don't play into the tactics that bad faith actors like to use to try to shame me into not being who I am.”