Photo: Courtesy of Laverne Cox.
Since Laverne Cox's appearance on
The Katie Show earlier this week, a dialogue surrounding trans* culture has been gaining momentum. Couric's objectification of Cox and Carmen Carrera's genitals prompted Cox to politely call the host out on how her preoccupation with the transition leads to a dehumanized view of trans* people. This view can lead to violence, which can lead to murder, and suddenly a community has been made into the other.
Cox has been relatively quiet on the issue until yesterday, when she posted a brief statement to her Tumblr. And, as expected, it's well-articulated and endearing. "It is my dream that by highlighting the deep humanity of trans* people’s lives in the media," she writes, "elevating actual trans* voices to speak the truth of our lived experiences in ways that don’t sensationalize and objectify us, those human voices and stories can be a part of the disruption needed to end the disproportionate injustices that threaten so many trans* people’s lives, particularly the lives of trans women of color." She reiterates her Islan Nettles point and ends with a promise to continue the dialogue before thanking Katie Couric for the opportunity to highlight the injustices.
The conversation revolving around the trans* community is still relatively new, and will likely face more opposition before the injustices dwindle. Thankfully, there's people like Laverne Cox out there using their platform to educate and incite change. (Tumblr)
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