Laverne Cox didn’t make Time magazines ‘100 Influential People’ list in April despite dominating the reader poll (these votes don’t directly impact the final 100) and this omission caused outrage and surprise. Time magazine listened and the Orange is the New Black star is covering the magazine in a piece entitled “The Transgender Tipping” point. This is a really wonderful cover, free from the clutter of other bylines and Cox looks incredible in a midnight blue bandage dress.
The Q&A on the website (the full cover story is behind the paywall) covers past and present; Cox’s isolation as a child, the progress that has been made and the challenges that still exist. One important thing she underlines is that each experience isn’t an exact reflection of someone else’s and this isn’t a reason to deny a person’s rights:
“There’s not just one trans story. There’s not just one trans experience. And I think what they need to understand is that not everybody who is born feels that their gender identity is in alignment with what they’re assigned at birth, based on their genitalia. If someone needs to express their gender in a way that is different, that is okay, and they should not be denied healthcare. They should not be bullied. They don’t deserve to be victims of violence. … That’s what people need to understand, that it’s okay and that if you are uncomfortable with it, then you need to look at yourself.”
Cox also talks about social media and how it has had positive impact “where we’re able to have a voice in a way that we haven’t been able to before. We’re being able to write our stories and we’re being able to talk back to the media … We are the reason. And we are setting the agenda in a different way.”
For more from this Q&A and a behind the scenes look head here.
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