X González

Their mother is a Mathematics tutor and their father is a cybersecurity attorney who immigrated from Cuba to New York City in 1968.

Gonzalez reportedy has two older siblings.

X González (born Emma González; November 11, 1999) is an American activist and advocate for gun control.

In 2018, they survived the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history, and, in response, co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD.

González gave a viral speech against gun violence, proclaiming "We call B.S."

on the lack of action by politicians funded by the NRA.

Subsequently, González continued to be an outspoken activist on gun control, making high-profile media appearances and helping organize the March for Our Lives.

Speaking at the demonstration, González led a moment of silence for the victims of the massacre; they stood on stage for six minutes, which they observed was the length of the shooting spree itself.

González was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018.

González was raised in Parkland, Florida, a suburb of the Miami metropolitan area.

González graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

They served as the president of its gay–straight alliance.

In high school, González was also the tracking team leader on Project Aquila, a mission to send a school-made weather balloon "to the edge of space"; the project was documented by fellow student David Hogg.

They enjoy creative writing and astronomy but not Mathematics.

On the day of the shooting, González was in the auditorium with dozens of other students when the fire alarm went off.

They attempted to exit through the hallway but were told to take cover and took refuge back in the auditorium, where they were held for two hours until police let students out.

In the spring of 2022, González graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from New College of Florida.

On February 17, 2018, González gave an 11-minute speech in front of the Broward County Courthouse at a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The speech was in reaction to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, three days previously, during which a gunman had killed 17 and severely injured many more.

In the speech they pledged to work with their peers to pressure lawmakers to change the law.

"We are going to be the last mass shooting," González proclaimed.

"That's going to be Marjory Stoneman Douglas in that textbook, and it's all going to be due to the tireless efforts of the school board, the faculty members, the family members and most importantly the students."

The speech notably featured a call and response: "We call B.S.", in response to gun laws, calling for advocacy and empowering young people to speak out against school shootings.

The speech then went viral.

According to The Washington Post, González's speech became emblematic of the "new strain of furious advocacy" that sprang up immediately after the shooting.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, González said they felt their message would resonate through repetition.

"I knew I would get my job done properly at that rally if I got people chanting something. And I thought 'We call B.S.' has four syllables, that's good, I'll use that. I didn't want to say the actual curse words... this message doesn't need to be thought of in a negative way at all."

They and other survivors spoke with Florida state legislators in Tallahassee on February 20, 2018.

The students watched the legislature vote down debate on an existing gun control bill.

The students also spoke at an internationally televised town hall hosted by CNN on February 21, 2018.

González and others criticized the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), as well as politicians who accept money from the NRA, as being complicit in the shootings and stated that "you're either funding the killers, or you're standing with the children."

At the town hall, González pressed an NRA representative to clarify their position on guns.

"Dana Loesch, I want you to know that we will support your two children in the way that you will not," González said at the town hall.

"The shooter at our school obtained weapons that he used on us legally. Do you believe that it should be harder to obtain the semi-automatic and... the modifications for these weapons to make them fully automatic like bump stocks?"

Loesch answered González by arguing that mentally ill people shouldn't have access to weapons.

González interjected and noted that they hadn't answered their question.

"I think I'm gonna interrupt you real quick and remind you that the question is actually, do you believe it should be harder to obtain these semi-automatic weapons and modifications to make them fully automatic, such as bump stocks?"

Shortly after their viral speech and high-profile media appearances, González joined Twitter and acquired more than 1 million followers within a span of less than ten days.

González continued to speak out against gun violence.

A recording of González delivering a line in the speech was sampled as the intro for Madonna's "I Rise", released in May 2019.