Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox is an American actress, reality television star, television producer, and LGBT advocate. She is best known for her portrayal of Sophia Burset on the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black, for which she became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the acting category, and the first to be nominated for an Emmy Award since composer/musician Angela Morley in 1990. In 2015, she became the first openly transgender person...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Actress
Date of Birth29 May 1984
CityMobile, AL
CountryUnited States of America
I was assigned male at birth, is the way I like to put it, because I think we're born who we are and the gender thing is something someone imposes on you. And so I was assigned male at birth, but I always felt like I was a girl.
Believing that you are unworthy of love and belonging or that who you are authentically is a sin or is wrong, is deadly.
We live in an uncertain world and we want to believe that what a man is and what a woman is-I know that. And people don't want to critically interrogate the world around them. Whenever I'm afraid of something or I'm threatened by something, it's because it brings up some sort of insecurity in me. I think the reality is that most of us are insecure about our gender. They think, 'Okay, if there's this trans person over here, then what does that make me?
When a trans woman gets called a man, that is an act of violence.
I honestly just want to make myself happy most, and if other people like it, then that's great. If they don't, then I'm still happy,
Who you are authentically is alright.
I believe that when we love someone, we respect them, and we listen to them; we feel that their voice matters. And- we let them dictate the terms of who they are and what their story is.
Whether you're transgender or not, most of us get to a point in our lives where we can no longer lie to ourselves.
When I was perceived as a black man I became a threat to public safety. When I was dressed as myself, it was my safety that was threatened.
There are lessons in everything. The bad, the good. Our job is to listen, and to continue to learn, so that maybe we get better at this. Maybe get better at life.
By doing the work to love ourselves more, I believe we will love each other better.
If someone needs to express their gender in a way that is different, that is okay, and they should not be denied healthcare. They should not be bullied. They don't deserve to be victims of violence. ... That's what people need to understand, that it's okay and that if you are uncomfortable with it, then you need to look at yourself.
My third grade teacher called my mother and said, 'Ms. Cox, your son is going to end up in New Orleans in a dress if we don't get him into therapy.' And wouldn't you know, just last week I spoke at Tulane University, and I wore a lovely green and black dress.
We are born as who we are, the gender thing is something that is imposed on you.