A Survivor of Transphobia

Laverne Cox was born in Alabama in 1984 along with an identical twin brother. She was assigned ‘male’ at birth, and growing up was often taunted and harassed mercilessly for acting feminine. “When I was bullied as a child, called names, chased home from school, and sometimes physically attacked, it was because of my gender expression. The way I acted was way more feminine than how most of the people around me thought a boy "should" act.” ¹

In 2006 when Laverne transitioned, she realized that she would not be able to live her life undetected and was determined to ‘own’ being African American and transgender. She describes herself as “a producer, a writer, a daughter, a sister and a transgender woman.” ²

Laverne’s work as an actress and an advocate earned her the cover of Time Magazine and an Emmy nomination for her role in Orange is the New Black. In addition to the numerous awards that she has won for her acting she has produced an hour-long documentary exploring the lives of seven transgender youth and is currently producing a second documentary featuring the plight of a transgender woman who was imprisoned after protecting herself against a racist and transphobic attack.

In 2015, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama became the first president to ever publicly say the word ‘transgender’. “As Americans, we respect human dignity...for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” According to the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, just having Obama insert the words LGBT into his speech gave transgender individuals the hope and promise of inclusion in the American dream.³ In August 2015 Obama appointed the first transgender staff member in the White House.

Although visibility of transgender Americans is increasing, the community still faces discrimination and harassment in every aspect of their lives; at home, school, work, on the streets, and in the military. A study completed by the Williams Institute in 2015 found that “78% of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” ⁴

Laverne was chosen as one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year for her work as an advocate against transphobia. She is also the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in Orange is the New Black, the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, the Reader’s Choice Award from “Out” Magazine, and was named in The Grio’s 100 Most Influential African Americans, the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post, as well as one of Out magazine’s Out 100, and Metro Source magazine’s 55 People We Love, and ranked number 5 on the 2014 Root 100 list.

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A Survivor of Transphobia

Laverne Cox was born in Alabama in 1984 along with an identical twin brother. She was assigned ‘male’ at birth, and growing up was often taunted and harassed mercilessly for acting feminine. “When I was bullied as a child, called names, chased home from school, and sometimes physically attacked, it was because of my gender expression. The way I acted was way more feminine than how most of the people around me thought a boy "should" act.” ¹

In 2006 when Laverne transitioned, she realized that she would not be able to live her life undetected and was determined to ‘own’ being African American and transgender. She describes herself as “a producer, a writer, a daughter, a sister and a transgender woman.” ²

Laverne’s work as an actress and an advocate earned her the cover of Time Magazine and an Emmy nomination for her role in Orange is the New Black. In addition to the numerous awards that she has won for her acting she has produced an hour-long documentary exploring the lives of seven transgender youth and is currently producing a second documentary featuring the plight of a transgender woman who was imprisoned after protecting herself against a racist and transphobic attack.

In 2015, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama became the first president to ever publicly say the word ‘transgender’. “As Americans, we respect human dignity...for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” According to the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, just having Obama insert the words LGBT into his speech gave transgender individuals the hope and promise of inclusion in the American dream.³ In August 2015 Obama appointed the first transgender staff member in the White House.

Although visibility of transgender Americans is increasing, the community still faces discrimination and harassment in every aspect of their lives; at home, school, work, on the streets, and in the military. A study completed by the Williams Institute in 2015 found that “78% of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” ⁴

Laverne was chosen as one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year for her work as an advocate against transphobia. She is also the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in Orange is the New Black, the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, the Reader’s Choice Award from “Out” Magazine, and was named in The Grio’s 100 Most Influential African Americans, the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post, as well as one of Out magazine’s Out 100, and Metro Source magazine’s 55 People We Love, and ranked number 5 on the 2014 Root 100 list.

(click to continue)

A Survivor of Transphobia

Laverne Cox was born in Alabama in 1984 along with an identical twin brother. She was assigned ‘male’ at birth, and growing up was often taunted and harassed mercilessly for acting feminine. “When I was bullied as a child, called names, chased home from school, and sometimes physically attacked, it was because of my gender expression. The way I acted was way more feminine than how most of the people around me thought a boy "should" act.” ¹

In 2006 when Laverne transitioned, she realized that she would not be able to live her life undetected and was determined to ‘own’ being African American and transgender. She describes herself as “a producer, a writer, a daughter, a sister and a transgender woman.” ²

Laverne’s work as an actress and an advocate earned her the cover of Time Magazine and an Emmy nomination for her role in Orange is the New Black. In addition to the numerous awards that she has won for her acting she has produced an hour-long documentary exploring the lives of seven transgender youth and is currently producing a second documentary featuring the plight of a transgender woman who was imprisoned after protecting herself against a racist and transphobic attack.

In 2015, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama became the first president to ever publicly say the word ‘transgender’. “As Americans, we respect human dignity...for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” According to the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, just having Obama insert the words LGBT into his speech gave transgender individuals the hope and promise of inclusion in the American dream.³ In August 2015 Obama appointed the first transgender staff member in the White House.

Although visibility of transgender Americans is increasing, the community still faces discrimination and harassment in every aspect of their lives; at home, school, work, on the streets, and in the military. A study completed by the Williams Institute in 2015 found that “78% of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” ⁴

Laverne was chosen as one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year for her work as an advocate against transphobia. She is also the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in Orange is the New Black, the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, the Reader’s Choice Award from “Out” Magazine, and was named in The Grio’s 100 Most Influential African Americans, the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post, as well as one of Out magazine’s Out 100, and Metro Source magazine’s 55 People We Love, and ranked number 5 on the 2014 Root 100 list.
1. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
2. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
3. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
4. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/how-many-people-are-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender/

A Survivor of Transphobia

Laverne Cox was born in Alabama in 1984 along with an identical twin brother. She was assigned ‘male’ at birth, and growing up was often taunted and harassed mercilessly for acting feminine. “When I was bullied as a child, called names, chased home from school, and sometimes physically attacked, it was because of my gender expression. The way I acted was way more feminine than how most of the people around me thought a boy "should" act.” ¹

In 2006 when Laverne transitioned, she realized that she would not be able to live her life undetected and was determined to ‘own’ being African American and transgender. She describes herself as “a producer, a writer, a daughter, a sister and a transgender woman.” ²

Laverne’s work as an actress and an advocate earned her the cover of Time Magazine and an Emmy nomination for her role in Orange is the New Black. In addition to the numerous awards that she has won for her acting she has produced an hour-long documentary exploring the lives of seven transgender youth and is currently producing a second documentary featuring the plight of a transgender woman who was imprisoned after protecting herself against a racist and transphobic attack.

In 2015, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama became the first president to ever publicly say the word ‘transgender’. “As Americans, we respect human dignity...for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” According to the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, just having Obama insert the words LGBT into his speech gave transgender individuals the hope and promise of inclusion in the American dream.³ In August 2015 Obama appointed the first transgender staff member in the White House.

Although visibility of transgender Americans is increasing, the community still faces discrimination and harassment in every aspect of their lives; at home, school, work, on the streets, and in the military. A study completed by the Williams Institute in 2015 found that “78% of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” ⁴

Laverne was chosen as one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year for her work as an advocate against transphobia. She is also the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in Orange is the New Black, the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, the Reader’s Choice Award from “Out” Magazine, and was named in The Grio’s 100 Most Influential African Americans, the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post, as well as one of Out magazine’s Out 100, and Metro Source magazine’s 55 People We Love, and ranked number 5 on the 2014 Root 100 list.
1. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
2. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
3. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
4. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/how-many-people-are-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender/

A Survivor of Transphobia

Laverne Cox was born in Alabama in 1984 along with an identical twin brother. She was assigned ‘male’ at birth, and growing up was often taunted and harassed mercilessly for acting feminine. “When I was bullied as a child, called names, chased home from school, and sometimes physically attacked, it was because of my gender expression. The way I acted was way more feminine than how most of the people around me thought a boy "should" act.” ¹

In 2006 when Laverne transitioned, she realized that she would not be able to live her life undetected and was determined to ‘own’ being African American and transgender. She describes herself as “a producer, a writer, a daughter, a sister and a transgender woman.” ²

Laverne’s work as an actress and an advocate earned her the cover of Time Magazine and an Emmy nomination for her role in Orange is the New Black. In addition to the numerous awards that she has won for her acting she has produced an hour-long documentary exploring the lives of seven transgender youth and is currently producing a second documentary featuring the plight of a transgender woman who was imprisoned after protecting herself against a racist and transphobic attack.

In 2015, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama became the first president to ever publicly say the word ‘transgender’. “As Americans, we respect human dignity...for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” According to the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, just having Obama insert the words LGBT into his speech gave transgender individuals the hope and promise of inclusion in the American dream.³ In August 2015 Obama appointed the first transgender staff member in the White House.

Although visibility of transgender Americans is increasing, the community still faces discrimination and harassment in every aspect of their lives; at home, school, work, on the streets, and in the military. A study completed by the Williams Institute in 2015 found that “78% of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” ⁴

Laverne was chosen as one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year for her work as an advocate against transphobia. She is also the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in Orange is the New Black, the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, the Reader’s Choice Award from “Out” Magazine, and was named in The Grio’s 100 Most Influential African Americans, the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post, as well as one of Out magazine’s Out 100, and Metro Source magazine’s 55 People We Love, and ranked number 5 on the 2014 Root 100 list.
1. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
2. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
3. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
4. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/how-many-people-are-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender/

A Survivor of Transphobia

Laverne Cox was born in Alabama in 1984 along with an identical twin brother. She was assigned ‘male’ at birth, and growing up was often taunted and harassed mercilessly for acting feminine. “When I was bullied as a child, called names, chased home from school, and sometimes physically attacked, it was because of my gender expression. The way I acted was way more feminine than how most of the people around me thought a boy "should" act.” ¹

In 2006 when Laverne transitioned, she realized that she would not be able to live her life undetected and was determined to ‘own’ being African American and transgender. She describes herself as “a producer, a writer, a daughter, a sister and a transgender woman.” ²

Laverne’s work as an actress and an advocate earned her the cover of Time Magazine and an Emmy nomination for her role in Orange is the New Black. In addition to the numerous awards that she has won for her acting she has produced an hour-long documentary exploring the lives of seven transgender youth and is currently producing a second documentary featuring the plight of a transgender woman who was imprisoned after protecting herself against a racist and transphobic attack.

In 2015, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama became the first president to ever publicly say the word ‘transgender’. “As Americans, we respect human dignity...for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” According to the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, just having Obama insert the words LGBT into his speech gave transgender individuals the hope and promise of inclusion in the American dream.³ In August 2015 Obama appointed the first transgender staff member in the White House.

Although visibility of transgender Americans is increasing, the community still faces discrimination and harassment in every aspect of their lives; at home, school, work, on the streets, and in the military. A study completed by the Williams Institute in 2015 found that “78% of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” ⁴

Laverne was chosen as one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year for her work as an advocate against transphobia. She is also the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in Orange is the New Black, the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, the Reader’s Choice Award from “Out” Magazine, and was named in The Grio’s 100 Most Influential African Americans, the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post, as well as one of Out magazine’s Out 100, and Metro Source magazine’s 55 People We Love, and ranked number 5 on the 2014 Root 100 list.
1. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
2. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
3. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
4. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/how-many-people-are-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender/

A Survivor of Transphobia

Laverne Cox was born in Alabama in 1984 along with an identical twin brother. She was assigned ‘male’ at birth, and growing up was often taunted and harassed mercilessly for acting feminine. “When I was bullied as a child, called names, chased home from school, and sometimes physically attacked, it was because of my gender expression. The way I acted was way more feminine than how most of the people around me thought a boy "should" act.” ¹

In 2006 when Laverne transitioned, she realized that she would not be able to live her life undetected and was determined to ‘own’ being African American and transgender. She describes herself as “a producer, a writer, a daughter, a sister and a transgender woman.” ²

Laverne’s work as an actress and an advocate earned her the cover of Time Magazine and an Emmy nomination for her role in Orange is the New Black. In addition to the numerous awards that she has won for her acting she has produced an hour-long documentary exploring the lives of seven transgender youth and is currently producing a second documentary featuring the plight of a transgender woman who was imprisoned after protecting herself against a racist and transphobic attack.

In 2015, in his State of the Union speech, President Obama became the first president to ever publicly say the word ‘transgender’. “As Americans, we respect human dignity...for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” According to the director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, just having Obama insert the words LGBT into his speech gave transgender individuals the hope and promise of inclusion in the American dream.³ In August 2015 Obama appointed the first transgender staff member in the White House.

Although visibility of transgender Americans is increasing, the community still faces discrimination and harassment in every aspect of their lives; at home, school, work, on the streets, and in the military. A study completed by the Williams Institute in 2015 found that “78% of transgender respondents who had endured physical or sexual violence at school had attempted suicide.” ⁴

Laverne was chosen as one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year for her work as an advocate against transphobia. She is also the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in Orange is the New Black, the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, the Reader’s Choice Award from “Out” Magazine, and was named in The Grio’s 100 Most Influential African Americans, the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post, as well as one of Out magazine’s Out 100, and Metro Source magazine’s 55 People We Love, and ranked number 5 on the 2014 Root 100 list.
1. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
2. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
3. Cox, Laverne, “Everybody’s Trans: Gender Oppression Hurts All of Us”, Huffington Post, Sept. 8, 2014
4. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/how-many-people-are-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender/