Laverne Cox is a role model for everyone. People of any gender or orientation can see part of themselves in her, because the characteristics she portrays, and the way she puts herself out there for the world. She is a strong, kind, encouraging voice that is often not heard in Hollywood. Many have seen her on the TV series Orange is the New Black playing the role of Sophia Burset, a black transgender woman in prison. She does excellent in the TV series, but that is not the extent of her work or worth, nor the point here. She is an advocate for many people especially the transgender community. She does not understand how much she impacts people which is evident when she tells interviewers that she is not a role model, because she doesn’t view …show more content…
They were both gender non-conforming living in a city that is not known for acceptance of black people let alone gender non-conforming boys being raised by a single mom trying to do what’s best for them, all the while having the school tell Laverne’s mom that she shouldn’t let Laverne play in girl’s clothes. Everyone from her mom, teachers and other kids in school where “policing” her gender. She was bullied and harassed in school past college and on the streets of New York city. Being bullied or harassed is a horrible problem that transgendered people must deal with almost daily. Having to deal with bullies and harassment is not something new but often the discomfort and depression people feel from those hardships can lead to self-harm. Suicide is the worst of the possible self-harm which many trans-people understand very well. Laverne, even though she is famous now, she too has dealt with depression, and after her grandmother passed away she attempted suicide which she said in an interview was due to her being raised in the church and believed that her grandmother was looking down on her thinking she was a sinner and unworthy (“It Got Better”). This part of Lavern’s life story is very important, because it allows people to see that it is not just them that feel sad and depressed but that other people just like them have felt isolated and depressed at times throughout