Laverne Cox On Caitlyn Jenner: “Most Trans Folk Don’t Have The Privileges We Have”
The OITNB star has urged the public not to focus too much on the beauty standards Jenner and her are able to meet. "We need diverse media representations of trans folks".
It’s been a huge day for Caitlyn Jenner. With her Vanity Fair cover being released this morning, she’s gone on to break Twitter records, overtaking Barack Obama by gaining over one million followers in four hours.
Another Jenner world record, and at 65? Who'da thought! Humbled & honored to have reached 1M followers in 4 hrs. Thank you for your support.
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) June 1, 2015
Congratulations for the cover are pouring in from around the world, including this tweet from the previous record holder.
It takes courage to share your story. https://t.co/Q7wWjV9Rxx
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 1, 2015
The response online has been resoundingly supportive and positive too — and someone has even set up a Twitter bot to correct people who misgender Jenner in their posts.
Of all the posts to come out today however, perhaps the most insightful comes from Laverne Cox — co-star of Orange is the New Black, trans activist, and the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy — who reflects on Jenner’s cover one year after Cox’s own Time Magazine cover was released, with the coverline ‘The Transgender Tipping Point’.
“A year ago when my Time magazine cover came out, I saw posts from many trans folk saying that I am “drop dead gorgeous”, and that that doesn’t represent most trans people … What I think they meant is that in certain lighting, at certain angles, I am able to embody certain cisnormative beauty standards.”
In her post she explains how she is “so moved by all the love and support Caitlyn is receiving”, but also draws attention to the fact that our focus should be less on appearance and “certain cisnormative beauty standards”.
“I love working a photo shoot and creating inspiring images for my fans, for the world and above all for myself,” she writes. “But I also hope that it is my talent, my intelligence, my heart and spirit that most captivate, inspire, move and encourage folks to think more critically about the world around them. Yes, Caitlyn looks amazing and is beautiful, but what I think is most beautiful about her is her heart and soul; the way she has allowed the world into her vulnerabilities.”
She points out that, unlike Jenner and herself, many trans people will never be able to embody those standards — and many, in fact, choose not to. “It is important to note that these standards are also informed by race, class and ability, among other intersections,” Cox writes. “This is why we need diverse media representations of trans folks, to multiply trans narratives in the media and depict our beautiful diversities.”
It’s for that reason, she says, that she began the #transisbeautiful hashtag, which began trending last week after Cox posted a makeup free photo to her Instagram page. “#TransIsBeautiful is about, whether you’re trans or not, celebrating all those things that make us uniquely ourselves,” she writes. “Most trans folks don’t have the privileges Caitlyn and I now have. It is those trans folks we must continue to lift up, get them access to healthcare, jobs, housing, safe streets, safe schools and homes for our young people.”
“I hope, as I know Caitlyn does, that the love she is receiving can translate into changing hearts and minds about who all trans people are as well as shifting public policies to fully support the lives and well being of all of us,” she writes. “The struggle continues…”
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