If anyone is going to understand and be able to talk candidly about the transition of Caitlyn Jenner into the public eye, it is going to be Laverne Cox.
She graced the cover of the June 2014 issue of Time magazine, declaring then that it was the “Transgender Tipping Point.” And Cox has a few things to say about Vanity Fair‘s latest cover and story, “Call Me Caitlyn.” Her words are some of the most touching and straight-to-the-point thoughts about Caitlyn Jenner’s reveal and the broader implications of it that I have seen anywhere on the now officially broken internet.
There are so many great things Cox points out, first the obvious that Jenner looks fab. She said, in the vernacular, “Yasss Gawd! Werk Caitlyn! Get it!”
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But while we gawk at the beauty of our first glimpse of Caitlyn Jenner, Cox aptly stated that while she, herself, loves “working a photo shoot and creating inspiring images…” she also said she hopes, “my talent, my intelligence, my heart and spirit that most captivate, inspire, move and encourage folks to think more critically about the world around them.”
And if there is one thing in the world that can make people stop and think about the world around them, it is the trans world. Being so new to the majority of the public and (I hope) opening many eyes to the differences in people’s lives, the struggle many go through and accepting people’s decisions and/or wishes, because it is their life and you have no say as to how they live it.
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Cox wrote, “Yes, Caitlyn looks amazing and is beautiful but what I think is most beautiful about her is her heart and soul, the ways she has allowed the world into her vulnerabilities.”
Then she brought it home, saying, “The love and devotion she has for her family and that they have for her. Her courage to move past denial into her truth so publicly. These things are beyond beautiful to me.”
Cox moved on to talk about the trans community more broadly because when her Time cover came out, many people said because of her stunning beauty, she didn’t represent most trans people, similarly to many people now arguing that Jenner doesn’t either because of her wealth and fame. She said, “No one or two or three trans people can [represent all trans people].”
She talked about her hope for the future, saying, “I have hoped over the past years that the incredible love I have received from the public can translate into changing hearts and minds about who all trans people are as well as shifting public policies to fully support the lives and well-being of all of us. The struggle continues….”
Steps forward have been taken, but she is right, the struggle continues. Check out Cox’s whole post on her Tumblr account.
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