Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox was the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy Award. Born in Mobile, Alabama, Cox rose to fame as she secured a recurring role in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. She plays a trans woman and while talking about her character said, “Sophia is written as a multi-dimensional character who the audience can really empathize with—all of the sudden they’re empathizing with a real Trans person. And for Trans folks out there, who need to see representations of people who are like them and of their experiences, that’s when it becomes really important.” Cox’s role has established a platform where she is able to speak for trans rights, and she is known as a trailblazer in the LGBT community. She has won a number of awards for speaking out on LGBT rights, as well as made history by being the first openly transgender woman on the cover of TIME magazine.