Laverne Cox has changed the world as the first openly transgender person on the cover of Time Magazine this past June. Portraying Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black has brought her into the computers and living rooms of people everywhere.
Cox's latest endeavor is a documentary currently in production called FREE CECE, in which she interviews trans woman CeCe McDonald. McDonald was attacked in South Minneapolis, Minnesota, and, in 2012, was sentenced to 41 years in prison for what many ( including McDonald ) said was self-defense; she was released in January 2014.
On the eve of the Trans March in Canada for World Pride, Cox attended a question-and-answer session about the upcoming doc at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto.
Windy City Times caught up with Cox to learn about her bustling career as an actress and activist.
Windy City Times: Hey, Laverne. We have talked on the phone before.
Laverne Cox: Yes, I remember. I love Windy City Times!
WCT: Start off with talking about why it's important to have transgender characters on our screens.
Laverne Cox: What has been so important about meeting people in the past year of Orange Is the New Black is that folks are seeing themselves in these characters, everyone, people from all walks of life.
When we see ourselves in representation in the media in affirming ways it affirms our identities and validates us in new and exciting ways. It makes us feel less unknown. That is what I have experienced. I can't even tell you how many fans who have written me and I have had conversations with. People have even started their transitions because of this show. Can you believe that? They transitioned because of a TV show! People are transitioning and telling the truth about themselves to the people in their lives. Telling that truth is deeply powerful and reminds me how important the work of being an actor is.
WCT: There are so many trans stories now in the media. What has driven this change?
Laverne Cox: Sometimes you just get tired of telling lies to yourself and you have to tell yourself the truth. I got to a point in my life where I could no longer lie to myself.
I think the Internet is mobilizing us in a different way. I think people are finding safety online who identify as trans more to have a voice there and the world beyond. I think the Internet has been a huge catalyst for bringing trans folks together across the country. There are so many trans folks who I have interacted with online then I will be in Chicago and I will see them. I may have just talked to them online or read something that they have written so then we can interact with them in person finally. When we get together we have power.
WCT: Thanks for coming out to the Trans 100 event in Chicago. That meant a lot to many people.
Laverne Cox: Oh my God—that is everything! I am trying to keep my schedule free so I can be there next year.
WCT: Do you have ideas for bringing the whole LGBT community together?
Laverne Cox: Oh honey, that's a good question. That was actually my theme for my keynote at the Trans 100 this year. How do we move past our own pain so that we can really love and accept other people? Whenever I am having a problem—and I have been irritable a lot lately—it is because I don't feel safe or I am in fear. If I can slow down and realize I am in fight or flight mode that helps me from lashing out at a person.
I think people lash out because they are in trauma or afraid. We are trans people and the world is not safe for us. The question is how can we create safe space for ourselves? I think there are people in our lives who are toxic who we need to get out of our lives. That is the beginning and sometimes it's hard to get out of those bad situations. We need to find more trans folks that will make us feel safe so we can begin to love. Loving is something we have to practice with each other in a safe space then we can begin to extend that.
A huge part of it is that we shouldn't police other people's thoughts in the trans community. Someone may experience their identity as being trans in a specific way and that is valid but it is not about attacking someone because they are not towing the line. There is not just one way to be trans and that's great actually! That's a really cool thing. It gets tricky with political agendas and policies but it shouldn't be. It should be a wonderful opportunity to expand what it means to be men, women, in-between, both and neither.
WCT: You are currently working on the film FREE CECE. How is the project personal to you?
Laverne Cox: I have been walking down the street in New York City and have heard cat calls when someone realized that I was trans, I was kicked in the street once, I've been called a he-she, I've been called everything but a child of God, actually!
In the past I have been verbally abused, held down, kicked and beaten. That has been a part of my life so when I hear about a trans person experiencing a hardship then it's palpable and real.
When I heard about CeCe McDonald being a mother figure for a lot of trans youth and refuses to be a victim. I got goose bumps just thinking about that. I love her and she is having a hard time right now.
The story of FREE CECE is about her experiences in the criminal justice system.
WCT: What advice do you have for trans kids who are having a difficult time right now?
Laverne Cox: They can define themselves in terms of gender. We are not who other people say we are, we are who we know ourselves to be. We are what we love. That is okay and you are not alone in being who you are. There are people out there who will love and support you. It is about doing the work and believing it.
If there is not someone in the local community, then there is somebody online to talk to and get support.
WCT: How are you handling such a busy career?
Laverne Cox: I have a lot of gratitude and trying to just be in my body and enjoy it. It is hard, though, because I am promoting season two of Orange Is the New Black and starting season three.
WCT: So there will be a season three?
Laverne Cox: I guess I just gave it away, yes! I am shooting a documentary and writing a book. I am very blessed just to be a Black trans woman on the cover of Time Magazine.
WCT: How do you balance being an activist with being an actor?
Laverne Cox: I'm not right now! [Laughs] There's no balance in my life but I'm working on it. That's a work in progress. I've had conversations with my agent and advisors on where to find that balance. There are offers coming up that help me to do that.
Finding balance is something that I will let you know when I do that!
Visit www.lavernecox.com to keep up with Cox's projects.
