"I’m scared": Black and trans actress Laverne Cox is researching European cities after the US elections
Laverne Cox recently shared her post-election plans and opened up about being "scared" for herself as a Black transgender woman and others like her. In an interview with Marc Malkin for Just for Variety podcast on Thursday, November 7, 2024, Cox opened up about the impact of Trump's second presidency on the trans community.
Talking about how she plans to move forward as a Black trans woman following Donald Trump being re-elected, Cox said:
"I don't want to be in too much fear, but I'm scared. As a public figure, with all my privilege, I'm scared, and I'm particularly scared because I'm a public figure. I feel like I could be targeted. I think that they spent close to $100 million on anti-trans ads. It's deeply concerning."
The actress mentioned that she and several of her trans friends are thinking about leaving the US. She noted that they are trying to look for places to relocate to where it's deemed safer for trans people, saying:
"We're doing research on different cities in Europe and in the Caribbean."
Laverne Cox opened up about her post-election plan of possibly hoarding hormone treatment
During the Zoom interview on the Just for Variety podcast, Laverne Cox also answered what she thought about the news that some trans people are starting to hoard their hormone treatments. The Uglies actress admitted that she plans on doing the same, saying:
"There's a website I've gone already. I haven't bought any yet because I'm talking to my doctor to make sure it's all reputable and good product. But, yeah, I'm gonna hoard a bunch of estrogen."
Laverne Cox explained that while she's done with her medical transition, part of the process is taking estrogen, and she has to do it for life. The Masked Singer contestant added that if she stops taking it, she gets "hot flashes" and that it can go "really bad." Taking estrogen is "just for health" at this point, but she has concerns that getting her hands on the hormone treatment wouldn't be possible anymore.
Laverne Cox also opened up about her concerns for trans youth in the interview with Malkin, saying that she has a friend who has a trans daughter and that she's 16 now. The daughter of her friend was able to transition before puberty because she had "supportive parents."
The access to puberty blockers allowed the young girl to be "stealth" about being trans in school. However, the Orange Is the New Black star expressed concern for the 16-year-old and said she is "scared for her" and just "want her to be safe."
As for her advice for young trans people, Cox said that if they can get gender-affirming care to block their puberty and can live stealthily after that, then that is something she would suggest. She added:
"At this point, whatever you have to do to be safe and not be k*lled or terrorized so much as you want to k*ll yourself, [do it to] stay alive."
Laverne Cox also suggested that trans people who are coming to the Hollywood scene should follow their dreams and never give up. She based the advice on her own experience as a trans woman. The seasoned actress said that she worked hard for her dreams, despite people telling her that she was "crazy" for pursuing it.
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