For the past two years, Laverne Cox has been in front of the camera, representing the transgender community as a star on “Orange Is the New Black.” But tonight, Cox takes a step behind the scenes and shines a light on the lives of several transgender youth in the new documentary “The T Word.” But before the doc’s debut, Cox opened up about the violence many trans youth faced and shared her own experience with transphobia.
In an interview with Logo, Cox talked about the fear she had as a trans youth about being attacked for simply being herself.
“Many times during my transition I would wake up and be in fear of leaving my apartment, being in fear of being harassed on the street,” she recalled. “I would ask myself, is this the day someone is going to have a problem with me and I’m going to lose my life?”
Cox further explained that most trans youth deal with that damaging fear every day and that it affects the way in which they see the world and themselves.
“It’s really scary that just having the courage to leave your home you might be a target for violence, you might not make it back. But that is the reality for far too many trans people around the world,” Cox said.
Sadly, this harsh for reality for transgender people has left too many of them vulnerable to attacks from both fellow citizens and the police, and there’s a serious lack of legislative support when it comes to protecting and providing the trans community with equal rights.
Hopefully, this new documentary will not only give trans people hope that their lives will be seen as valued and normal in society, but also that non-trans people will think to embrace trans people instead of attack them.
“The T Word” premieres simultaneously on MTV and Logo tonight at 7 p.m. – nicholas robinson
