Laverne Cox is now a household name, but it didn’t always used to be that way.
Like many trans people,she struggled and foughther entire life to feel accepted by society.
Many directors didn’t want to hire her simply because of who she was.
But where other people might have given up, she kept pushing.
“That’s the thing about being an actor,” she toldBackstage.
In 2014,Cox told BuzzFeedthat from the very beginning, she wasn’t going to sacrifice her values.
Even when Cox was eliminated from the show’s competition, she held her composure.
And her resolve hasn’t diminished since.
While the show takes place in a women’s prison, its storylines and characters have universal appeal.
As an actress, portraying trans woman and bringing awareness to trans issues has always been her priority.
When she first learned of her nomination, she shareda statement with theHuffington Post.
We need love, and support.
We need public policy and our fellow citizens to value our lives and our humanity."
Opening up the conversation
Cox has long been one to challenge the status quo.
“I think that the preoccupation with transition and surgery objectifies trans people,” Cox said.
“And then we don’t get to really deal with the real lived experiences.
The reality of trans people’s lives is that so often we’re targets of violence.”
There was no avoiding her or the trans community any longer.
As always, she was unfailingly candid, using the modus of entertainment to incite real change.
She’s spoken atPenn State,SUNY at Albany, andMarymount Manhattan College, to name a few.
What gives Cox such influence especially over young adults is that sheuses her Hollywood celeb-status for positive leverage.
In practically everything she does as an actress, she makes history as the first to do so.
With her college speaking tours, she gets to tell that story even more directly.
Fighting for Cece
Cox is no stranger to writing and producing on her own.
She did just that in her showTRANSform Me, which she also starred in.
To save her life, she ended up stabbing one of her attackers, who later died.
In essence, telling McDonald’s story was Cox telling her own tale.
And that, to her, is the power of acting.
