Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox was born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1972. Raised by her mother alongside her twin brother, she experienced bullying as a child. Dance and acting offered forms of expression that later became the basis of her career.

Her breakthrough came as Sophia Burset in “Orange Is the New Black”, first broadcast in 2013. The character brought a trans woman’s experience into a widely watched prison drama. In 2014 Cox became the first openly transgender performer nominated for a Primetime Emmy in an acting category. That year she also appeared on the cover of “Time”.

Cox used this attention to speak about violence, employment, healthcare and the particular vulnerability of trans women of colour. Her public work connected individual representation with the conditions affecting people far from television fame.

As an executive producer of “Disclosure” (2020), she helped examine the history of trans representation in film and television. Alongside acting and presenting, she has continued to argue for the ability of trans people to describe their own lives.