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
When people find out you're an actress, they Google you.
I'm always skeptical about representations of trans people, especially when trans people are not making the work.
The preoccupation with transition and with surgery objectifies trans people, and we don't get to really deal with the real lived experiences.
When people have points of reference that are humanizing, that demystifies difference.
So often, trans roles don't even go to trans actors. Most of the fabulous trans roles that have won people Oscars, we didn't get to play. A lot of folks have said we're not trained enough and that we're not prepared to do whatever.
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,
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.
If you have a problem with people living their lives and being authentically who they are, you really should go and do some soul-searching.
We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love. That's okay.
I never knew my father. He was never married to my mother; he was never a part of my life. It was just my mom, my brother and me.
What took time for my mom was getting the pronouns right and calling me by a different name. Laverne was my middle name before I transitioned.
I wanted to be famous; I wanted to perform. Those things I really, really wanted more than anything else.
I don't have children, and I don't want children.
Everyone is insecure. I think, really, it comes from, like, a desire to want to be in control of how you're represented.