Laverne Cox making TV history

[antemortem]

When you watch the Emmy Awards on Aug. 25, you will witness living history: For the first time ever, a transgender actress's name will be read aloud as an Emmy nominee.

Laverne Cox, who delivers a riveting, nuanced portrayal of transgender inmate Sophia Burset in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, announced Thursday morning by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It is the first time a transgender actress has been recognized in this way by the television equivalent of the Academy Awards.

This has been the year of Laverne. The actress, born in Mobile, Ala., has been an unstoppable presence in media and advocacy lately: She served as Grand Marshall at this year's New York City Pride Parade and was also honored with her OITNB castmates at Logo TV's "Trailblazers" awards special. To top it all off, she landed the cover of TIME Magazine in May, another first for a transgender woman.

What makes Cox's sudden mainstream appeal so important, however, is the way the actress has been able to use her media attention to educate Amercians about transgender rights, while also being careful not to overshadow the narratives of her trans brothers and sisters.

"It's about listening to transgender people and taking the lead from trans folks. The reality is that I don't represent the entirety of the trans community; there are multiple experiences and multiple relationships to one's identity," Cox told TIME, emphasizing the importance of intersectionality in an interview for the historic cover story.

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[Flushed]

Congrats to her, you know I never know whether making a big deal about these things is good or bad. Highlighting LGBT-related things and making them headlines doesn't quite bring us closer to a judgment-free society, but at the same time, since we're not at that point yet, might as well make the best of the "spotlight", as she has done, advocating for and teaching about transgenderism.

On a different note, I've watched quite a bit of Orange is the New Black, and she's quite deserving of the nomination.

 

[Grand Wizard Ryan]

Congrats to her, you know I never know whether making a big deal about these things is good or bad. Highlighting LGBT-related things and making them headlines doesn't quite bring us closer to a judgment-free society, but at the same time, since we're not at that point yet, might as well make the best of the "spotlight", as she has done, advocating for and teaching about transgenderism.

I know where you're coming from here. If we're truly to treat LGBTs as equals, then shouldn't we not be highlighting and individuating everything that they achieve (or do wrong)?

Then again, it is simply stating that she's the first transgender person to achieve such a feat, which isn't exactly harmful or overly praising. It's just stating a fact, more or less.

Nonetheless, her Emmy-nod is well deserved!

 

[Retro Bug]

I always forget this, but I've actually met Laverne and have a picture with her. Yeah, she's fabulous but that's to be expected, and tall. I thought I was tall, but maybe it was her heels, which were also fabulous.

I'm actually extremely happy about this. Laverne has actually helped me become a better trans* ally so good for her, I hope she wins. I've never watched the Emmys but I know they snubbed Orphan Black.

 

[Rogue planet]

A trans actress has her name READ ALOUD? praise the heavens! we've come a long ♥♥♥♥ing way to reach this point! what if she even wins?!? it's going to make history I'm sure.

Laverne is great and obviously deserves it, but this is really not cause for celebration. She is literally the definition of token; maybe I'll be interested when this is not even news and trans actors/actresses becomes a normal thing.

 

[antemortem]

Laverne is great and obviously deserves it, but this is really not cause for celebration. She is literally the definition of token; maybe I'll be interested when this is not even news and trans actors/actresses becomes a normal thing.

Fair enough but why not celebrate a much needed step forward?

 

[Rogue planet]

Fair enough but why not celebrate a much needed step forward?

It's a baby step and it's not that significant. Of course the media plays it up as a giant leap to make people think they're actually making a significant effort to reach fair representation. Like I said, she's a token.