“I’m living my dream right now,” actress Laverne Cox says, laughing. “I co-hosted The View today! I told Whoopi I’ve always wanted to co-host The View!”
To say Cox has had a good year would be an understatement, and her star continues to rise. Best known for her Emmy-nominated role as transgender inmate Sophia Burset on Netflix’s hugely successful original series Orange Is the New Black, Cox also is a successful producer with television programs Laverne Cox Presents the T-Word and TRANSform Me. Not least, she is a tireless advocate for the transgender community. Her success in both avenues even landed her on the cover of Time magazine, “a dream I didn’t even have the audacity to have.”
Cox is using her fame as a springboard for her advocacy. She is on a college lecture circuit speaking with youth about her journey of growing up in Alabama with her twin brother, being raised by a single mom, being bullied and harassed and what it’s like to be a transgender woman in today’s world.
Still, the thought of herself as the face of the transgender community still strikes her as odd. “I can’t represent the entire community, I can only represent myself,” she says. “I try to elevate the stories of other trans people whenever possible, so that folks will understand that it’s not just about me. It’s about a rich tapestry of diversity in our community.”
To read full article on this issue’s cover girl, click here.
