Parkland, Fla., shooting survivor Emma González said in a new interview that she believes there’s a link between gay activism and her efforts to fight gun violence.

“They’re definitely linked for me personally. If I wasn’t so open about who I was I never would’ve been able to do this,” she told Yahoo News.

“In ninth grade, I was in a creative writing class where I could actually really effectively communicate what I was feeling, and it especially helped me come to terms with who I was. That definitely was when I really understood who I am, and when I came to terms with it, and when I told most people.”

{mosads}González, who has said she identifies as bisexual, added that being open helped her to understand that everybody is “going through a lot of different things.”

She said she also learned organizing skills through her work as the president of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at her high school.

“Most of the kids in GSA either have depression or they’re dealing with a lot of stuff at home, and it’s like, I can understand that,” she said.

“And there are so many people in the country who are dealing with that, in relation to gun violence. You have no idea. You don’t know how many people you talk to on a daily basis that have actually been shot before, or have lost someone through gun violence. With GSA it’s the same. Everything’s incredibly far-reaching and widespread.”

González is one of many students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who has become a vocal advocate for gun control since a gunman opened fire at her high school last month. 

On Saturday, she spoke at the “March for Our Lives” in Washington, D.C., where she held a powerful moment of silence.

The D.C. march was one of hundreds that took place in cities across the country to protest gun violence and call for change.

During the marches, students honored those who died from gun violence and warned lawmakers that if they don’t take action on gun violence they will be voted out of office.