Earlier today, we revealed that transgender activist and actress LaVerne Cox was listed on TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
Now, the 30-year-old “Orange is the New Black” star is baring it all for Allure.
“Going through life, you try to cover and hide, but it doesn’t really work,” Cox said about committing to the spread. “I said no initially, thought about it, and said no again. But I’m a black transgender woman. I felt this could be really powerful for the communities that I represent. Black women are not often told that we’re beautiful unless we align with certain standards. Trans women certainly are not told we’re beautiful. Seeing a black transgender woman embracing and loving everything about herself might be inspiring to some other folks. There’s beauty in the things we think are imperfect. That sounds very cliché, but it’s true.”
Since her breakout role in OITNB, Cox has been on fire. Last year she took home the Glamour award for Woman of the Year, and she racked up this year’s Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Cox is slated to speak at the University of Connecticut’s Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs on April 22.
