Who Is Laverne Cox? Everything To Know LGBTQ+ Activist

Over the few years, Laverne Cox has fully flourished as a household name with her multiple acting roles. Being vocal about her identity, LGBTQ+ rights, and her gorgeous looks, Cox is never afraid to show her side of the story. The first major role that brought her to the spotlight was that of Sophia Burset as seen in “Orange Is the New Black”. Being bullied since her childhood, Laverne realized at an early stage of life that she needs to stand up in this world to make her identity known to everyone. But what is Laverne Cox’s true story? Who is Laverne Cox in real life? Know the story of the most prominent trans activist existing in today’s time.

Who Is Laverne Cox?

Born in Mobile, Alabama, Cox is a twin to her identical brother M Lamar. You may recognize Lamar from his role of Marcus, the pre-transitioning version of Sophia in “Orange Is the New Black”. Cox had quite a struggling childhood since her single mother and grandmother raised her at the AME Zion church. As she failed to identify herself as a man and even didn’t have the characteristics as that of a male, she struggled a lot. Her male classmates used to bully her and when she was 11, she grew feeling for her male classmate which led her to attempt suicide. 

Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox

But she never had let her guard down since then. Her first major appearance was as a contestant in “I Want To Work for Diddy” and then, VH1 connected her to share show ideas. Then she got to be a part of the TV series “TRANSform Me” and Cox became the first ever African-American transgender person to not only produce the show but also start on it. For this, she was nominated for the prestigious GLAAD Media Award.

From here, her career path started to change for good. She got roles in TV series and films such as “Bored to Death,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and “Musical Chairs”. But her major success came with “Orange is the New Black”. She considered this role to be a perfect way to communicate and voice trans people. Cox stated, “Sophia is written as a multi-dimensional character who the audience can really empathize with—all of the sudden they’re empathizing with a real Trans person. And for Trans folks out there, who need to see representations of people who are like them and of their experiences, that’s when it becomes really important.

The actress has been nominated three times for Emmys and she has proved her worth time and again. Her beauty is admired and she was also in John Legend’s video song, “You & I (Nobody in the World)”. Currently, she was also in “Inventing Anna” which was another prestigious addition to her list. She is still continuing her career and spreading awareness about people in her community.

Lavern Cox Is An LGBTQ+ Activist

Cox is extremely vocal about what she believes. In 2014, she spoke against the law that was passed in Phoenix Arizona that allowed any policeman to arrest anyone who is suspected of “manifesting prostitution”. She feels like this is done to target transgender women of color after one activist was taken in custody. She said, “All over the country, trans women are targeted simply for being who they are. Laws like this manifestation law really support systematically the idea that girls like me, girls like me and Monica, are less than [others] in this country.”

She also empowers women by allowing them to take charge of their bodies. When Cox was asked by Carrera what type of genital reconstructions the actress has done, she said, “I do feel there is a preoccupation with that. The preoccupation with transition and surgery objectifies trans people. 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 are targets of violence. We experience discrimination disproportionately to the rest of the community.”

She has been actively supporting for rights of black people, the trans community, and black women as well. Lavern has become trusted support for people who are seeking to find advice and solutions in the LGBTQ+ community.

Being a trans woman herself, Lavern is now a public figure with major responsibilities and she fulfills all of those with diligence.

Stay tuned for more updates, Nog Magazine.