Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner recently met for the first time at the premiere of I Am Cait and appeared to indulge in some seriously heavy bonding. During an interview on The Late Late Show, Cox debriefed everyone on what it was like to meet the former Olympic athlete and offered her thoughts on Jenner’s very public transition, talking about the cultural and racial differences between herself and Jenner.
“When I think about transitioning in my twenties as a black transgender woman who was working class and struggling to make it in New York City, it’s completely different from Caitlyn’s very public experience," she said.
As proved with the "Where’s My Vanity Fair Cover?" protest, not every trans person is from a rich and supportive family and not every trans person comes out via a glossy magazine. Cox touched on this but did highlight the importance of having people like Jenner in the public eye.
“What I think is so beautiful about my visibility and Caitlyn’s visibility is that diverse representations of trans people in the media are so important.”
The Orange Is The New Black star was full of praise for Jenner’s personality and attitude in dealing with her transition so openly. Cox said: “She’s such a sweet woman who loves her family and just thinking about the paparazzi life she has, I don't want that life. There’s no way she could have transitioned privately and I think she’s doing it very eloquently and beautifully and publically.”
