Laverne Cox wants more to be done to “end violence against transgender people”.
Laverne Cox
The ‘Orange is the New Black’ star has been openly fighting for the rights of LGBTQ people for many years, and has now said she would love to see better protections in place for transgender youth in schools, as well as the narrative around transphobic violence reframed.
She said: “I would love the media talking about solutions to ending violence against trans people. Helping to improve the material conditions of trans people through employment opportunities and housing could reduce violence against trans people.
“We also need to contextualise violence against trans folks in the context of intimate partner violence. We need to make a world where men being attracted to trans women is no longer deeply stigmatised. This is a huge reason why trans women are dying.”
To help in her fight to protect transgender people, the 48-year-old actress - who is transgender herself - has also backed an initiative set up by Citi bank to allow transgender and non-binary customers to use their chosen names on their accounts.
Laverne has partnered with the US banking firm to promote their True Name initiative in conjunction with Mastercard, which is billed as a first among major banks, as the feature was previously only accessible to those who underwent a legal name change.
Speaking to HuffPost, Laverne said of the initiative: “When I changed my name legally 20 years ago and received my new ID with my chosen name reflected, it was so empowering. I know as a trans person, having ID documents that don’t match who we are can also be a safety issue.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Doubt’ actress recently said “seeing young transgender people shine” is one of the “greatest joys” of her life.
She gushed: "Can I tell you one of the greatest joys of my life, having done all the things that I've done, is seeing young trans people shine? It brings shivers to my spine, it brings tears to my eyes.
“[Seeing] trans and non-binary voices being elevated and having media presence, honestly, it feels like I can pull back a little bit. Finally, we have a mainstream platform to amplify the voices of activists, who, for years, have been saying we need a certain level of respect and dignity for trans people.”
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