Laverne Cox has been on a roll in the media all month long, landing a groundbreaking cover for Time and creating teachable moments about the transgender community on “The Wendy Williams Show.” But things weren’t always so pleasant for Cox in the media. Earlier this year, she and fellow trans celebrity Carmen Carrera were involved in a media firestorm after they appeared on “Katie” and criticized host Katie Couric for asking insulting questions about trans people. Recently though, Cox returned to Katie and seemed to make peace with Couric over their controversial past.
During their initial interview, both Cox and Carrera fielded some rather personal and invasive questions about their surgical transition from men to women, and both of them refused to answer and let Couric know that part of the problem of living as a transgender person in the world is that other people tend to focus on their genitalia instead of their character.
And when Cox sat down with Couric again, this week, Couric took little time in addressing the initial controversy over their previous interview.
“Last time you were here, I got a lot of flack because I asked about the physical process [of transition] and I learned that it’s very upsetting to the transgender community because they feel people are too often fixated on this and that your anatomy actually has very little to do with your gender identity,” said Couric.
Cox explained that she appreciated Couric for having her back on the show and that she was willing to learn about the lives, nuances and experiences of the trans community.
“I so appreciate your willingness to learn out in public. What excited me about coming back is the opportunity of modeling how do we have difficult conversations across differences and how do we do that and create safe spaces for people across both sides,” Cox explained.
Couric admitted that the criticism she endured hurt her and she explained that she hoped to learn what is and what isn’t appropriate when talking about trans life.
“It’s only a mistake if you make it twice,” Cox responded.
Cox also talked about the sudden transgender equality movement and she explained that the growth of the movement is due in large part to social media.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the Internet and social media. Trans people, we have a voice now and we’re willing to be visible,” she said. “There are so many amazing trans folks out there who are telling their stories and sharing their stories and saying ‘this is how our stories should be told’ … I think when we get to know folks as human beings, our misconceptions about people who are different than us melt away.”
Well, we’re glad that Cox is willing to let the world see her life and experiences and to help the world really understand the full scope of what it is to be transgender. – nicholas robinson
