Cameron Kasky
{{Short description|American gun control activist (born 2000)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cameron Kasky
| image = Cameron Kasky 3.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Kasky speaking at a rally in 2018
| birth_name = Cameron Marley Kasky{{cite tweet |user=cameron_kasky |number=1321596112319336448 |date= October 28, 2020|title=Marley }} In response to @RBMEllis: "What is your middle name?"
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2000|11|11}}{{Cite tweet |user=cameron_kasky |number=1061484014463344640 |date=November 11, 2018 |title=Hey everyone! It's officially my birthday, and to celebrate my big 18, please drop a donation at https://scottjbeigelmemorialfund.com !!! Also, I'm working on a gofundme to buy Billy Eichner a signed & framed picture of Ann Coulter. Will keep you all posted. Love!}}
| birth_place = Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
| parents =
| relatives =
| occupation = {{flatlist|
| years_active = 2018–present
| organization = Never Again MSD
| education = Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
| known_for = Gun control advocacy
}}
Cameron Marley Kasky (born November 11, 2000) is an American activist and advocate against gun violence who co-founded the student-led gun violence prevention advocacy group Never Again MSD. He is notable for helping to organize the March for Our Lives nationwide student protest in March 2018. Kasky is a survivor of the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.{{cite web |last=Graham |first=Renée |date=February 20, 2018 |work=Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/02/20/post-columbine-teens-take-lead-with-neveragain/2Dx0SQ9xDK0DwjCcL5c65K/story.html |title=Post-Columbine Teens Take the Lead with #NeverAgain |access-date=February 25, 2018 |quote=... Cameron Kasky has already done more to advocate for an assault weapons ban than a decade's worth of GOP legislators. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225210150/https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/02/20/post-columbine-teens-take-lead-with-neveragain/2Dx0SQ9xDK0DwjCcL5c65K/story.html | archive-date= February 25, 2018 | url-status= live}} Kasky was included in Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People of 2018".{{Cite magazine|title=The Parkland Students: The World's 100 Most Influential People|url=https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217568/parkland-students/|access-date=September 22, 2020|magazine=Time|language=en-us}}
Early life and education
Kasky was a student, a "theatre kid", and former member of the drama club at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and was a junior at the time of the school shooting in February 2018.{{cite web |last=Kasky |first=Cameron |date=February 20, 2018 |publisher=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/opinions/florida-shooting-no-more-opinion-kasky/index.html |title=Parkland Student: My Generation Won't Stand for This |access-date=February 25, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225041427/https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/opinions/florida-shooting-no-more-opinion-kasky/index.html | archive-date= February 25, 2018 | url-status= live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.jta.org/2018/02/22/news-opinion/united-states/survivors-grieving-parents-of-slain-students-confront-lawmakers-and-nra-rep-at-town-hall-meeting |title=Survivors, Grieving Parents of Slain Florida Students Confront Lawmakers and NRA Rep at Town Hall Meeting |date=February 22, 2018 |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |location=New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227094220/https://www.jta.org/2018/02/22/news-opinion/united-states/survivors-grieving-parents-of-slain-students-confront-lawmakers-and-nra-rep-at-town-hall-meeting|archive-date=February 27, 2018|url-status=live |access-date=February 26, 2018}} He has a younger brother with autism who is also a survivor of the MSD shooting.{{cite news |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-school-shooting-inside-20180214-story.html |title=Students Recount Horror of School Shooting |last=Huriash |first=Lisa J. |date=February 14, 2018 |work=Sun Sentinel |location=Deerfield Beach, Florida |publisher=Tronc|access-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301225749/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-school-shooting-inside-20180214-story.html|archive-date=March 1, 2018|url-status=live}} After graduating from high school, he attended Columbia University for several semesters, but dropped out.{{Cite news |last=Robles |first=Frances |date=2022-07-18 |title=Where are the Parkland activists today? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/18/us/x-gonzalez-parkland-activists-sam-fuentes.html |access-date=2023-09-06 |issn=0362-4331}} Kasky is Jewish.{{Cite web|last=Feldman|first=Ari|title=Seething Jewish Parents And Students Lead Emotional Anti-Gun Fight|url=https://forward.com/news/395005/seething-jewish-parents-and-students-lead-emotional-anti-gun-fight/|date=February 22, 2018|website=The Forward|access-date=October 15, 2021|language=en}}
Advocacy
{{Main|Never Again MSD}}
{{See also|2018 United States gun violence protests}}
Kasky had just left drama class when the shooting began at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018.{{cite magazine |last=Schulman |first=Michael |date=February 23, 2018 |magazine=The New Yorker |location=New York |publisher=Advance Publications |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-spring-awakening-of-the-stoneman-douglas-theatre-kids |title=The Spring Awakening of the Stoneman Douglas Theatre Kids |access-date=February 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226180613/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-spring-awakening-of-the-stoneman-douglas-theatre-kids |archive-date=February 26, 2018 |url-status=live}} After he met his younger brother at a different classroom and exiting the school, the fire alarm sounded. With other students, they were instructed to go back inside. They waited an hour in a classroom until they were rescued.
After the shooting, Kasky brought several school friends to his house and with them founded Never Again MSD (#NeverAgain), a student-led gun control advocacy group. Kasky came up with the name "Never Again" while the group stayed up through the night to make plans, and he posted "Stay alert. #NeverAgain" to Facebook.{{cite magazine |last=Witt |first=Emily |author-link=Emily Witt |date=February 19, 2018 |magazine=The New Yorker |location=New York |publisher=Advance Publications |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-the-survivors-of-parkland-began-the-never-again-movement |title=How the Survivors of Parkland Began the Never Again Movement |access-date=February 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225024400/https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-the-survivors-of-parkland-began-the-never-again-movement |archive-date=February 25, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |first=Remy |last=Smidt |date=February 20, 2018 |work=BuzzFeed |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/remysmidt/heres-what-its-like-at-the-headquarters-of-the-teens |title=Here's What It's Like at the Headquarters of the Teens Working to Stop Mass Shootings |access-date=February 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220073125/https://www.buzzfeed.com/remysmidt/heres-what-its-like-at-the-headquarters-of-the-teens |archive-date=February 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Bond |first=Shannon |date=February 23, 2018 |work=Financial Times |location=London |publisher=Nikkei |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9341021e-1818-11e8-9376-4a6390addb44 |title=Students Take the Lead in US Gun Control Debate |access-date=February 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227213713/https://www.ft.com/content/9341021e-1818-11e8-9376-4a6390addb44 |archive-date=February 27, 2018 |url-status=live}} The group works to create a national movement against gun violence, including an effort to publicize legislators receiving money from the NRA and persuading people not to vote for them. It promoted and led a massive rally called March for Our Lives in Washington, DC, on March 24, 2018.{{cite web |last=Mann |first=Brian |date=February 18, 2018 |work=All Things Considered |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/02/18/586958556/student-activists-who-lived-through-florida-shooting-plan-march-on-washington |title=Students Who Lived through Florida Shooting Turn Rage into Activism |access-date=February 25, 2018 |quote=Kasky and most of the other kids in the park survived the attack and now they're pivoting hard trying to create a new national movement. They've announced plans for a massive rally against school and gun violence in Washington ... | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227060540/https://www.npr.org/2018/02/18/586958556/student-activists-who-lived-through-florida-shooting-plan-march-on-washington | archive-date= February 27, 2018 | url-status= live}}
According to a report in The New Yorker, it was Kasky's idea to found the activist group along with fellow students David Hogg, X González, Sarah Chadwick and others – a group described by reporter Michael Schulman as having "moral clarity and vision" in the gun control debate.{{cite magazine |first=Michael |last=Schulman |date=February 23, 2018 |magazine=The New Yorker |location=New York |publisher=Advance Publications |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-spring-awakening-of-the-stoneman-douglas-theatre-kids |title=The Spring Awakening of the Stoneman Douglas Theatre Kids |access-date=February 25, 2018 |quote=Cameron Kasky, the seventeen-year-old firebrand who started the Never Again movement with his classmates ... I watched Kasky, González, and their classmates show more moral clarity and vision than we've seen in the gun debate for a long time. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224164722/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-spring-awakening-of-the-stoneman-douglas-theatre-kids | archive-date= February 24, 2018 | url-status= live}} Kasky wrote an op-ed on the CNN website describing the events of the massacre and his reaction to it. In an interview, Kasky told the CNN anchor Anderson Cooper that "my generation won't stand for this." Although known as a "theatre kid" with a reputation for being the class clown, Kasky's experience after the shooting was primarily one of anger:{{cite web |last=Kasky |first=Cameron |date=February 16, 2018 |work=All Things Considered |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/02/16/586616026/students-who-survived-florida-shooting-want-politicians-to-know-theyre-angry |interviewer-last=McEvers |interviewer-first=Kelly |interviewer-link=Kelly McEvers |title=Students Who Survived Florida Shooting Want Politicians to Know They're Angry |access-date=February 25, 2018 |quote=Cameron Kasky is angry. He's angry because when he goes back to school, 17 people won't be there, 17 people who were killed in a mass shooting in Florida on Wednesday. And Cameron Kasky is with us now. Welcome. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218050534/https://www.npr.org/2018/02/16/586616026/students-who-survived-florida-shooting-want-politicians-to-know-theyre-angry |archive-date=February 18, 2018 |url-status=live}}
{{blockquote|Can't sleep. Thinking about so many things. So angry that I'm not scared or nervous anymore ... I'm just angry. I just want people to understand what happened and understand that doing nothing will lead to nothing. Who'd have thought that concept was so difficult to grasp?}}
At a televised "Stand Up" town hall session sponsored by CNN with Senator Marco Rubio, Kasky asked the senator whether he would continue receiving money from the National Rifle Association (NRA): "Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?"{{cite web |last=Kircher |first=Madison Malone |date=February 22, 2018 |work=New York |url=http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/02/florida-shooting-survivor-gets-nra-death-threats-on-facebook.html |title=Parkland-Shooting Survivor Logs off Facebook after Death Threats |access-date=February 25, 2018 |quote=Or Cameron Kasky taking Marco Rubio to task during CNN's town hall on Wednesday night. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225201405/http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/02/florida-shooting-survivor-gets-nra-death-threats-on-facebook.html | archive-date= February 25, 2018 | url-status= live}}{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/369ce5c7a60141c49d7cac79f2c53000|title=Americans say Congress is listening to all the wrong people|last1=Kellman|first1=Laurie|date=February 26, 2018|work=Associated Press|access-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227090627/https://apnews.com/369ce5c7a60141c49d7cac79f2c53000|archive-date=February 27, 2018|url-status=live|last2=Swanson|first2=Emily}} Rubio responded by saying, "I will always accept the help of anyone who agrees with my agenda." Kasky repeatedly questioned Rubio about whether he would continue receiving NRA money. The senator did not offer a definitive response but appeared to soften his positions regarding some gun restrictions.{{cite web |last1=Caputo |first1=Marc |last2=Morin |first2=Rebecca |date=February 21, 2018 |work=Politico |location=Arlington, Virginia |publisher=Capitol News Company |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/21/marco-rubio-age-limit-rifles-421647 |title=Facing Jeers and Boos, Rubio Shifts on Guns during Tense Forum |access-date=February 25, 2018 |quote=Kasky cut him off and re-asked his question: 'No more – no more NRA money?' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224172416/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/21/marco-rubio-age-limit-rifles-421647 |archive-date=February 24, 2018 |url-status=live}}
Kasky temporarily stopped utilizing Facebook as a result of death threats. When later Kasky was accused of being a crisis actor, he replied to CNN's Wolf Blitzer that "if you had seen me in our school's production of 'Fiddler on the Roof,' you would know that nobody would pay me to act for anything."{{cite web |last=Lasker |first=Alex |date=February 22, 2018 |publisher=AOL |url=https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/02/22/florida-shooting-survivor-flawlessly-refutes-paid-actor-conspiracy-theory/23368697/ |title=Florida Shooting Survivor Flawlessly Refutes Paid Actor Conspiracy Theory |access-date=February 25, 2018 |quote=During a recent interview, CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked Kasky what he would say to the conspiracy theorists who claim he is a paid actor. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224184114/https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/02/22/florida-shooting-survivor-flawlessly-refutes-paid-actor-conspiracy-theory/23368697/ | archive-date= February 24, 2018 | url-status= live}}
Kasky announced the March for Our Lives rally on February 18, 2018.{{cite news |last=Bruney |first=Gabrielle |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a18223160/florida-school-shooting-march-on-washington/ |title=Survivors of the Florida School Shooting Are Planning to March on Washington |date=February 18, 2018 |work=Esquire |location=New York |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220043829/https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a18223160/florida-school-shooting-march-on-washington/|archive-date=February 20, 2018|url-status=live}} Later that week, Kasky appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with X González and Jaclyn Corin to discuss their advocacy and march.{{Cite news |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a18671363/parkland-students-shooting-ellen-degeneres-emma-gonzalez/ |title=Emma Gonzalez Shares the Story behind Her Moving 'We Call B.S.' Gun Reform Speech |last=Feller |first=Madison |date=February 23, 2018 |work=Elle|access-date=February 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226035522/https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a18671363/parkland-students-shooting-ellen-degeneres-emma-gonzalez/|archive-date=February 26, 2018|url-status=live}} Kasky said, "The thing that inspired us to create the march was people saying, 'This is not the time to talk about gun control, this is the time to mourn.' We understand that, so here's the time to talk about gun control. March 24th."{{cite magazine |last=Braca |first=Nina |date=February 23, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |url=https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/news/8215172/parkland-student-activists-gun-control-ellen-interview-video |title=Parkland Student Activists Call for Tighter Gun Control on 'Ellen': 'We're Here to Fight the Good Fight' |access-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516111625/https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/news/8215172/parkland-student-activists-gun-control-ellen-interview-video |archive-date=May 16, 2018 |url-status=live}}
In March 2018, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine along with fellow activists Jaclyn Corin, X Gonzalez, David Hogg, and Alex Wind.Associated Press, March 22, 2018, Houston Public Media, "[https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/03/22/274663/parkland-students-on-cover-of-time-magazine/ Parkland Students On Cover Of Time Magazine]" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323022955/https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/03/22/274663/parkland-students-on-cover-of-time-magazine/ |date=March 23, 2018 }}, Retrieved March 22, 2018, Note: cover third week March 2018; "...{{nbsp}}The cover features Marjory Stoneman Douglas students Jaclyn Corin, Alex Wind, Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky and David Hogg,{{nbsp}}..."
Kasky called President Donald Trump a "professional liar" on CNN after Trump delivered a pro-gun speech at the annual NRA convention in Dallas in May 2018, in contrast to Trump's prior call for gun control reform in the wake of the Parkland shooting. Kasky criticized the president to point out Trump said what he needed to say to appease the NRA.CNN, Veronica Stracqualursi, May 5, 2018, [https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/05/politics/trump-nra-parkland-student-response/index.html Parkland student Cameron Kasky calls Trump a 'professional liar' after NRA speech] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505174442/https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/05/politics/trump-nra-parkland-student-response/index.html |date=May 5, 2018 }}, Retrieved May 6, 2018Avery Anapol, May 5, 2018, The Hill, [https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/386345-parkland-student-rips-trump-over-nra-speech-hes-a-professional-liar/ Parkland student rips Trump over NRA speech: 'He's a professional liar'], Retrieved May 8, 2018, "...{{nbsp}}slammed President Trump for speaking at the National Rifle Association (NRA) Leadership Forum the previous day by calling him a "professional liar{{nbsp}}..."{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/parkland-student-calls-trump-professional-liar-nra-speech-article-1.3973109|title=Parkland school shooting survivor Cameron Kasky calls Trump a 'professional liar' one day after NRA speech|last1=Slattery|first1=Denis|last2=Boroff|first2=David|date=May 5, 2018|website=New York Daily News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617193343/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/parkland-student-calls-trump-professional-liar-nra-speech-article-1.3973109|archive-date=June 17, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=April 30, 2019}}
In May 2018, Kasky's father registered a super PAC, Families vs Assault Rifles PAC (FAMSVARPAC), with intentions of going "up against NRA candidates in every meaningful race in the country".{{cite web |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article212173729.html |title=Parkland parents launch a Super PAC to go after politicians and the NRA |work=Miami Herald |date=May 30, 2018 |access-date=May 30, 2018 |last=Smiley |first=David | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530172536/http://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article212173729.html | archive-date=May 30, 2018 | url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-sb-douglas-parents-families-rifles-pac-20180529-story.html |title=Parkland parents set up PAC to take on NRA |work=Sun Sentinel |date=May 30, 2018 |access-date=May 30, 2018 |last=Huriash |first=Lisa | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180531000520/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-sb-douglas-parents-families-rifles-pac-20180529-story.html | archive-date=May 31, 2018 | url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://famsvarpac.org |title=Families vs Assault Rifles PAC |website=famsvarpac.org|access-date=January 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213152829/https://famsvarpac.org/|archive-date=December 13, 2018|url-status=live}}
= New laws =
In March 2018, the Florida Legislature passed a bill titled the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. It raises the minimum age for buying firearms to 21, establishes waiting periods and background checks, provides a program for the arming of some teachers and the hiring of school police, bans bump stocks, and bars potentially violent or mentally unhealthy people arrested under certain laws from possessing guns. In all, it allocates roughly $400 million.{{cite news |work=Sun-Sentinel |date=March 7, 2018 |first=Dan |last=Sweeney |title=Florida House sends Stoneman Douglas gun and school bill to Gov. Scott |access-date=March 8, 2018 |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-florida-school-shooting-legislature-20180307-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307212042/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-florida-school-shooting-legislature-20180307-story.html |archive-date=March 7, 2018 |url-status=live}} The governor signed the bill into law on March 9. He commented, "To the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, you made your voices heard. You didn't let up and you fought until there was change."{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/us/florida-gov-scott-gun-bill/index.html |title=Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs gun bill |last1=Sanchez |first1=Ray |last2=Yan |first2=Holly |date=March 9, 2018 |work=CNN |access-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309225741/https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/us/florida-gov-scott-gun-bill/index.html|archive-date=March 9, 2018|url-status=live}}
= Departure from March for Our Lives =
On September 19, 2018, Kasky announced his decision to leave March for Our Lives in an interview with Fox News Radio.{{Cite news|url=https://radio.foxnews.com/2018/09/19/co-founder-of-march-for-our-lives-cameron-kasky-explains-the-mistakes-hes-made-why-he-left-march-for-our-lives |title= Co-Founder Of March For Our Lives Cameron Kasky Explains The Mistakes He's Made & Why He Left March For Our Lives|date=September 19, 2018|work=FOX News Radio|access-date=November 4, 2018| language=en-US| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010120708/https://radio.foxnews.com/2018/09/19/co-founder-of-march-for-our-lives-cameron-kasky-explains-the-mistakes-hes-made-why-he-left-march-for-our-lives | archive-date=October 10, 2018|url-status=dead}} He expressed regret for some of his past actions, including confronting Rubio at the "Stand Up" town hall session and saying the name of the Parkland shooter aloud in his question to Rubio. However, Kasky said his decision to leave March for Our Lives was not due to a change of heart or political views.{{Cite news |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article218737530.html |title=March For Our Lives founder leaves the group, regrets trying to 'embarrass' Rubio |last=Iglesias |first=Jose |date=September 20, 2018 |work=Miami Herald|access-date=November 4, 2018 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121160449/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article218737530.html|archive-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}} Instead, he wants to take responsibility for his actions and encourages others to seek mental health services when necessary. Moving past March for Our Lives, Kasky is working on improving himself personally and a new podcast, "Cameron Knows Nothing". However, in an interview with Insider in 2022, Kasky has revealed the reason why he left March For Our Lives was because of his ongoing struggle with his mental health which further took a toll on him during the time he was part of the organization.{{cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/march-for-our-lives-school-shooting-survivor-cameron-kasky-2022-6 | title=I survived a school shooting and helped organize the first March for Our Lives 4 years ago. We're demonstrating again tomorrow — here's how we can all unite to prevent this from happening again | website=Business Insider }}
= Reactions =
In The New Yorker, journalist Evan Osnos singled out Kasky's direct questioning of Marco Rubio at the CNN town hall as significant and as something no journalist had ever been able to do.{{cite magazine |last=Osnos |first=Evan |author-link=Evan Osnos |date=February 22, 2018 |magazine=The New Yorker |location=New York | publisher =Advance Publications |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/cnns-town-hall-on-guns-and-the-unmaking-of-marco-rubio/amp |title=CNN's Town Hall on Guns and the Unmaking of Marco Rubio |access-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226092045/https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/cnns-town-hall-on-guns-and-the-unmaking-of-marco-rubio/amp |archive-date=February 26, 2018 |url-status=live}} People magazine stated that as founder of the #NeverAgain movement, and despite death threats from NRA supporters, "Kasky has committed himself to advancing legislative changes that will make it more difficult for people to get guns, and in the process, has helped inspire advocacy around the cause".{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Chris |date=February 26, 2018 |work=People |location=New York |publisher=Meredith Corporation |url=http://people.com/crime/cameron-kasky-everything-to-know-parkland-shooting-survivor |title=What to Know about Cameron Kasky, School Shooting Survivor Allegedly Getting Death Threats from NRA Supporters |access-date=February 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227073914/http://people.com/crime/cameron-kasky-everything-to-know-parkland-shooting-survivor |archive-date=February 27, 2018 |url-status=live}}
Politics
Kasky endorsed Andrew Yang in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, claiming to be "very tired of... the same nonsense that's been failing the American people for generations. Yang is offering up solutions that change the game."{{Cite journal|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/477516-march-for-our-lives-co-founder-endorses-yang/|title=March for Our Lives co-founder endorses Yang|journal=The Hill|first=Julia|last=Manchester|date=January 9, 2020|access-date=January 9, 2020}} Upon Yang dropping out, Kasky threw his support behind Bernie Sanders, and subsequently endorsed Joe Biden in the general election.{{cite web |last1=Grega |first1=Kelcie |title=Sanders' caucus-eve rally in Las Vegas draws ardent supporters |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2020/feb/22/sanders-pre-caucus-rally-in-las-vegas-draws-ardent/ |website=lasvegassun.com |publisher=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=February 24, 2020 |date=February 22, 2020}}
Personal life
Kasky identifies as queer.{{Cite web|title=Joining Forces with Hillel International to Reimagine "Higher Holidays"|url=https://rebooting.com/article/joining-forces-with-hillel-international-to-reimagine-higher-holidays/|date=August 26, 2020|website=Reboot|access-date=October 15, 2021|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Padgett|first=Donald|date=September 14, 2021|title=Parkland Survivor, LGBTQ+ Activist Cameron Kasky Comes Out As Queer|url=https://www.out.com/news/2021/9/14/parkland-survivor-lgbtq-activist-cameron-kasky-comes-out-queer|access-date=September 16, 2021|website=Out|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Brock|title=Congrats to Parkland survivor Cameron Kasky on coming out: An advocate for LGBTQ equality and reform of gun laws|url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/09/17/congrats-to-parkland-survivor-cameron-kasky-on-coming-out/|date=September 17, 2021|website=Washington Blade|access-date=October 15, 2021|language=en}} In his coming out as queer, reported by Out on September 14, 2021, Kasky said that his "ability to proudly share who I am today only exists due to queer activists, specifically queer activists of color, giving their lives for our right to exist...To those of you who are also struggling to find an identity that you find authentic, take your time. Look inwards and indulge in your beauty and light." Kasky has been open about his struggles with mental health over the years (particularly with his struggle with depression and bipolar disorder).
Selected works
- {{Cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/opinions/florida-shooting-no-more-opinion-kasky/index.html |title=Parkland student: My generation won't stand for this |last=Kasky |first=Cameron |date=February 2018 |work=CNN}}
- He is set to appear in The Room Returns!.{{cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1256034/the-room-remake-bob-odenkirk-shot-single-day/ |title=The Room Remake Starring Bob Odenkirk Was Shot In A Single Day |website=SlashFilm |last=Housman |first=Andrew |date=April 14, 2023 |access-date=April 24, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Cameron Kasky}}
- {{Twitter}}
- {{IMDb name|9641889}}
- {{YouTube|id=2XExNsQZZZM|title=Parkland student makes demand to lawmakers}}
- [https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/02/22/gun-town-hall-marco-rubio-nra-money-sot.cnn/video/playlists/stoneman-douglas-parkland-shooting-cnn-town-hall-gun-debate/ Survivor to Rubio: Will you reject NRA money?] CNN video
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcsKMie6M94 On the Bill Maher show] YouTube video
{{Stoneman Douglas High School shooting}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Politics|Society}}
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Category:American gun control activists
Category:Jewish American activists
Category:LGBTQ people from Florida
Category:People from Hollywood, Florida
Category:People from Parkland, Florida
Category:People with bipolar disorder