Laverne Cox reacts to Trump administration’s attacks on trans people: ‘I’m not going anywhere’
"Trans people are not the reason you can’t buy a house or your rent’s too high," Cox said in an appearance on The View
By Gary Grimes
Laverne Cox has spoken out about recent moves made by the Trump administration to erase trans people from public life.
Cox was reacting to the news of various executive orders signed by Trump since he returned to office, including one which ordered all federal agencies to only recognise two genders (male and female), and one which bans trans women from participating in women’s sports.
Speaking with passion on an appearance on The View, the trans actress spoke at length about the “propaganda and lies” being spread about trans people by the US government. “I love trans people I just love people and it’s horrible,” the actress said.
“It started at the state level, many years ago,” Cox said. “You know, what is it? 26 states banned gender-affirming care for young people. This has been happening at the state level for many years. So, I’ve been devastated because trans families have had to relocate for many years, parents have been criminalised, so it’s been devastating. Now it’s happening on a federal level.”
“At the end of the day, trans people are less than 1% of the population and trans people are not the reason you can’t afford eggs, that you can’t afford healthcare. We’re not the reason you can’t buy a house or your rent’s too high,” Cox said. “I think they’re focused on the wrong 1%. I think the other one percent is the reason for all those things.”
The Orange Is The New Black star was appearing on the show to promote her new Amazon Prime sitcom Clean Slate which sees Cox starring as a trans daughter who reconnects with her father, played by George Wallace. “I know so many amazing black Christian women who might have some difficulty with their gay child or their trans child but the love and that Christian vibe of loving everybody comes through and I love that we get to model that vibe on Clean Slate.“
Continuing on about Trump’s recent executive orders, Cox remarked: “I think in terms of the administration and all this propaganda and lies – everything he’s doing is illegal by the way, so hopefully it will be challenged in the courts.”
She concluded by offering an empowering message of support to her trans peers. “I have to say for my trans siblings, we must not allow ourselves to be victimised by this,” she said. “Take care of your mental health, understand that we come from a legacy of ancestors and transcestors who’d been criminalised before and found a way to get access to gender-affirming care, maybe not from a doctor, but we did it, we’ve been doing it and we will always do it no matter what.
“We did it in community, we did it sharing resources and comunity aid, so look to community right now, look to people in your lives offline, limit the news that you consume, be aware of what’s going on but don’t inundate yourself – that’s what I’m doing to not go crazy,” Cox admitted.
“I refuse to be a vicim and we must not be victimised. There’s such a wondeful legacy that we have to look to as trans people, as people of colour, of resilience and resistance, even when the government wants to erase trans people from public life. This is what they’ve said, that’s what they’re doing, and even in the face of that you can’t erase us. Girl, I’m not going anywhere.”