Introduction
Olivia Julianna (born 2003 or November 17, 2002) is an American political activist, abortion rights advocate, and strategist from Texas. She was formerly a director of politics and government affairs for Gen-Z for Change. Julianna has maintained a heavy social media presence to encourage civic engagement on issues such as abortion rights and climate change. She was named one of the 50 Most Influential of 2022 by Bloomberg Media.
Early life and education
Olivia Julianna was born in 2002 or 2003. She lives in Houston, Texas. She goes by her first and middle name publicly for her safety. She identifies as a "queer, plus-size, disabled Latina" and is a fourth-generation Texan of Mexican-American descent. She attends the University of Houston–Victoria, where she majors in political science and plans to graduate in 2024.
Activism
Julianna uses social media to bring attention to political and electoral news and activism. She is most active on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, with an audience of over 1 million followers across all her social media platforms.
Gen-Z for Change
Julianna began to develop political content on social media during the 2020 United States presidential election and became involved with Gen-Z for Change, a collective of Gen-Z activists who use social media to raise political awareness and to fundraisers. In October 2022, she became the organization’s director of politics and government affairs. As of August 2023, Julianna is no longer associated with Gen-Z for Change.
Dispute with Texas Right to Life
After the passage of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which empowered private individuals to sue anyone who performs or facilitates an illegal abortion after a heartbeat is detected, anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life created a service to anonymously report abortions. Julianna subsequently posted a video on TikTok noting that people could easily submit false reports; the website ultimately crashed after an influx of tips, and the hosting site ended its relationship with Texas Right to Life.
Abortion funds
In July 2022, Republican U.S. representative Matt Gaetz criticized Julianna on Twitter and publicly made comments about her body at the Turning Point USA summit in Florida.She responded by rallying her Twitter followers to contribute more than $2 million to the Gen-Z for Choice Abortion Fund.
Recognition
In December 2022, Bloomberg Media named her one of the 50 most influential people who defined global business in 2022. She also attended the 2023 State of the Union Address as a guest of U.S. representative Nanette Barragán.