June 22 is officially the happiest day of the year, and it's not just because summer has just started. On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio marked June 22 as Laverne Cox Day in New York City, and the actress has a couple ideas of how we can celebrate.
Cox, who plays Sophia on Orange Is The New Black, has made a name for herself not just as an actress, but as a transgender rights activist who has inspired so many with her own journey. The Mayor decided to honor that journey in a celebration on the 22nd.
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"Oh my God," Cox says in her acceptance speech. "How crazy is this?"
She added, "Can you believe that a Black, transgender woman...raised by a single mother has a day in New York City named after her?"
We can, and we're thrilled.
"According to Mayor De Blasio today June 22, 2017 is Laverne Cox Day in the city of New York," she captioned a video of the speech on Instagram. "WOW! Thank you so much Mayor and First Lady. I am beyond honored and grateful for this proclamation.#TransIsBeautiful happy #Pride. NYC enjoy Laverne Cox Day. Love and embrace who you are and celebrate and love each other!"
She added another photo that takes a closer look at the proclamation, and it's magnificent.
How do we celebrate Laverne Cox Day? Easy. We just need to "love [ourselves] and each other."
The next morning, Cox reflected back on the day, and shared a few final thoughts about the honor as well as a couple heartwarming pictures.
"Yesterday was just surreal," she wrote. "I loved meeting these incredible openly trans members of the #NYPD. Thanks again to the Mayor and First Lady. Yesterday was #LaverneCoxDay in the city of New York. #TransIsBeautiful #Pride#RightToKnowAct"
This woman is so impressive, we're definitely going to find ourselves celebrating her all year round.