Laverne Cox Speaks Out At Beautycon 2017 About Transgender Rights

Laverne Cox is known for being the star of Orange Is the New Black. It turns out that Laverne just went to Beautycon 2017 to speak out about transgender rights, and she didn’t hold back at all. The Hollywood Reporter shared everything that Laverne had to say during her new speech. Beautycon started out their event by posting on the screen about how they welcome everyone no matter what their race is, and they even said they accept unicorns.

Laverne said, “We’re in survival mode now, because so many basic rights we’ve fought for a really long time are being threatened.”

Laverne explained that she grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and never actually wanted to fit in there. Where some people try hard to fit in, she never wanted that in her life. She started dancing when she was in the third grade.

It turns out that Laverne Cox was made fun of and bullied, but she always wanted to be on television. Obviously, her dream came true, and Laverne is living that dream now. She knows that she was obviously a transgender person to the world, but she feels she is beautiful because of these differences. Laverne is encouraging people to stand up for transgender rights. She said to “write letters, lobby, go to a protest.”

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Laverne went on to talk about how she feels like things are hard on transgender people now.

“We’re in survival mode now, because so many basic rights we’ve fought for for a really long time are being threatened. Trans people are being murdered disproportionately to other populations. I could go on and on. The shift that’s happened in the past few years is that trans people are more visible; because of social media, more of our voices are elevated, so we’re able to talk back in a way that we have not been able to before… But we need more allies coming on board to say these lives matter. I’m an actress, first and foremost. But I want to produce more and be involved behind the scenes in telling these stories, because I believe that so much going on with trans people, in terms of misinformation, has to do with how our stories are told in the media.”

Laverne did tease that when it comes to beauty, it takes a village to take care of her. She uses a hairstylist, makeup artist, and someone for fashion. She also said you can be beautiful first thing in the morning with no makeup on at all while looking into the eyes of your loved ones. Laverne knows a lot about beauty.

The fans have loved watching Laverne Cox on Orange Is the New Black. She has been able to show the world that someone who is transgender can do anything they want, and if acting is something they hope to do, then they should keep pushing for their dream.

What do you think of Laverne Cox speaking out about transgender rights? Do you feel like she is changing the world? Sound off in the comments section below, and don’t miss new episodes of Orange Is the New Black on Netflix.

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[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]