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Cox, Laverne 159

Further Readings female while she began to medically transition. Ellison, T. (2019). Black femme praxis and the promise Through performing, Cox met and formed a com- of black gender. The Black Scholar, 49, 1. doi:10.108 munity with other trans women of color, which 0/00064246.2019.1548055 helped her to live her life as a Black . Faderman, L., & Timmons, S. (2006) Gay L.A.: A history of sexual outlaws, power politics, and lipstick Acting Career lesbians. Berkeley: University of California Press. Rechy, J. (2013). City of night. New York, NY: Grove Cox made her television debut in 2008 on Law & Press. Order: Special Victims Unit and VH1’s I Want to Stryker, S. (2008). history. Berkeley, CA: Work for Diddy, a reality show in which contestants Seal Press. competed for employment as an executive assistant Vogel, S. (2009). The scene of Harlem cabaret: Race, to music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Cox was the sexuality, performance (p. 112). Chicago: University first out African American trans woman to appear of Chicago Press. on a reality TV show. Cox’s popularity prompted VH1 to offer her an opportunity to launch her own show, which became TRANSform Me, a makeover series in which Cox and two other trans women, Cox, Laverne Nina Poon and Jamie Clayton, responded to “fash- ion emergencies.” In 2013, Cox began playing the Laverne Cox is an African American trans actor, character of Sophia Burset on the hit series model, dancer, and trans rights activist who is one (OITNB), a comedy- of the most prominent voices within the trans com- drama about the various interpersonal relation- munity, especially among trans women of color. ships, alliances, conflicts, and power struggles This entry briefly chronicles Cox’s early life before between women serving time in prison. Cox’s por- discussing her acting career, history of activism, trayal of Burset earned her numerous honors, and honors and achievements. including three Primetime Emmy Award nomina- tions, a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomina- tion, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Early Life and Education “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Cox was born on May 29, 1972, in Mobile, Comedy Series.” Other notable roles have included Alabama, where she and her twin brother (musician portraying Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the 2016 tribute and performance artist M Lamar) were raised by to the 1975 cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show their mother and grandmother. From a young age, and appearing on Doubt, , Curb she was regularly bullied by her peers for being femi- Your Enthusiasm, and . nine and not fitting into the gender expectations for someone assigned male at birth. When she started having feelings for boys in sixth grade, she did not Activism and Education know how to deal with the situation and attempted Cox’s advocacy for the rights of trans people is suicide. Cox survived through finding a home in the also notable. In 2014, she produced Laverne Cox arts and studied creative writing and dance at the Presents: The T Word, an MTV documentary Alabama School of Fine Arts, a residential high about the experiences of seven trans youth from school. Cox attended Indiana University before across the United States. The film won a Daytime transferring to Marymount Manhattan College, Emmy for “Outstanding Special,” making it the where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in first trans show and Cox the first out trans woman dance. While at Marymount, she became involved in producer to win an Emmy. Cox’s advocacy also acting, appearing in numerous plays produced by brought significant attention to the case of CeCe the school’s theater department and performing in McDonald, a Black trans woman who was impris- drag shows in nightclubs. Cox never oned for defending herself against a physical identified as a , but the performances attack by a white supremacist. Cox produced a gave her a chance to act and present publicly as documentary, Free CeCe!, which chronicled 160 Criminal Justice System

McDonald’s journey through the criminal justice achievements, she was featured on the cover of system and raised awareness of the high rate of Time in 2014, making her the first openly trans violence perpetuated against trans women of color. person on the magazine’s cover. That same year, Beyond producing documentaries, Cox has also she appeared on the cover of Essence magazine, used her celebrity status to speak out in support of alongside Black female actors , the trans community and on trans rights issues. Nicole Beharie, and , and in 2018, One notable instance occurred when Cox and she became the first openly trans person to be fea- another trans woman, actor and model Carmen tured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine. She Carrera, were asked invasive questions about gen- was also included in Essence’s 100 Most Influential der-affirming surgeries by veteran television jour- People in 2015 and on the “Power Lists” of Ebony nalist while the women were guests and Out magazines in 2014 and 2017, respectively. on Couric’s show. Cox responded by saying, Due to her creative prowess and relentless advo- cacy, Laverne Cox remains one of the most recog- I do feel there is a preoccupation with that. nizable and influential Black trans women in the The preoccupation with transition and sur- United States. gery objectifies trans people. And then we Julian Kevon Glover don’t get to really deal with the real lived experiences. The reality of trans people’s See also Activism; Gender-Affirming Surgeries, Women; lives is that so often we are targets of vio- Jennings, Jazz; Mock, Janet; News Media lence. We experience discrimination dispro- Representations; Social Media; Trans Women; portionately to the rest of the community. Transnormativity Our unemployment rate is twice the national average; if you are a trans person of color, that rate is four times the national aver- Further Readings age. The homicide rate is highest among Cox, L. (2020). Laverne’s story. Retrieved from https:// trans women. If we focus on transition, we lavernecox.com/about. don’t actually get to talk about those things. McDonough, K. (2014, January 8). Laverne Cox (McDonough, 2014, n.p.) flawlessly shuts down Katie Couric’s invasive questions about transgender people. Salon. Retrieved Cox’s refusal to answer the question and redi- from https://www.salon.com/2014/01/07/laverne_ rection of the interview’s focus demonstrate how cox_artfully_shuts_down_katie_courics_invasive_ other trans people who are asked invasive ques- questions_about_transgender_people tions can respond without shutting down the con- versation altogether. Furthermore, Cox’s response reveals why it remains critically important to interrogate the structural manifestations of Criminal Justice System oppression that collude to expose LGBTQIA+ people to relentless socioeconomic, political, cul- Criminal justice systems have fundamentally tural, emotional, spiritual, and physical violence. affected the lived experiences of trans people. Cox was honored as a “Woman of the Year” by Since the beginning of the LGBTQ+ rights move- Glamour magazine in 2014, and the accompany- ment, advocates have sought to prevent violence ing article included a quote about Cox’s influence against trans people, including by seeking to by Couric, who was a previous “Woman of the decriminalize nonconforming gender identities Year” recipient. and expressions, eradicate police mistreatment of trans people, abolish prisons, and reduce the array of harms trans people experience at the hands of Honors and Achievements criminal justice systems. Today, while trans peo- Cox’s visibility in the media has made her a trail- ple are increasingly recognized for contributing blazer and brought much greater attention to the to political change benefiting both trans and cis experiences of trans people. Among her many people, scholarship has aimed to reposition the