Laverne Cox says she and her friend were the targets of a violent transphobic attack over the holiday weekend.
The disturbing incident happened while the actress and her male friend were walking through Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
In an Instagram Live video posted yesterday, Cox detailed what happened.
“We passed this guy, and the guy very aggressively asked for the time,” she explains in the video. After giving him the time, the man then asked, “Guy or girl?”
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“My friend says ‘F*ck off,’ I’m walking, I’m hearing all of this and it’s happening in like a split second, and then all of a sudden the guy is attacking my friend.”
The man proceeded to punch Cox’s friend. She pulled out her phone to call 911, but before she could place the call, the man took off on foot. Thankfully, neither she nor her friend were injured.
“It’s not safe if you’re a trans person,” Cox continues. “We were literally just walking through the park. … This dude was looking for trouble because I happened to be a trans person in public.”
Cox says the incident, while disturbing, “isn’t shocking”, saying attacks live this have “been my life.”
“I’ve dealt with this a lot,” she says. “I’ve been trans my whole life. I’ve been harassed and bullied my whole life. None of this is new.”
“It doesn’t matter who you are, you can be Laverne Cox, whatever that means, if you’re trans, you’re going to experience stuff like this.”
Watch.
Related: ABC censored Laverne Cox’s Emmy speech; here’s the full version
Roy Ajax
I’d like to see what details are missing from this story. To me sounds like a drunk or bum who’s just an all-around trouble maker. Barely registers as a story.
ShiningSex
It doesn’t f*cking matter whether it was a “bum” or something like that. It’s obviously a hate crime and queens like you are part of the problem in “OUR COMMUNITY”. There’s such hate within our own community it’s gross. Get your head out of your ass and stop being ignorant.
James
WHAT A STUPID CONDESCENDING COMMENT.
startenout
Just quit.
ShiningSex
There’s obviously ignorance within our own community. Look at the comment above.
We need to end the hate/racism/transphobia even in our own LGBT community.
Thad
NOBODY should be attacked like that.
Trans folk should be able to enjoy a walk in the park. As should we all.
Kangol2
My heart goes out to Lorraine Cox and her friend who was assaulted. As others have said, no one should be attacked like this, and trans people are frequent targets of violence and outright murder. Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia kill people in countless ways and should go the way of the dodo bird, and that includes among LGBTQ communities ourselves. I hope the authorities catch the attacker, and that all of us start treating each other with decency, respect and dignity.
muscl954
This person must have known who Cox was in order to ask that question “boy or girl?”. That person wanted to cause trouble. If you were not aware of her media presence, you would never know that she is transgender. Laverne Cox looks totally like a woman.
joelk57
This behavior is absurd and obviously unacceptable on any level. I don’t care who the parties involved are, you don’t attack people period. This was a hate related crime and by his asking someone’s gender he knew who Laverne was. She’s a very recognizable personality he knew exactly what he was doing.Should not be happening in 2020…
Roy Ajax
She’s only recognizable in “the community”. If it’s someone who doesn’t like trans people then he wouldn’t know who she is. Maybe he guessed because she is 6ft tall… maybe he’s just a drunk/high bum… It seems to be a one-off and who knows what his motivation was. Her friend told him to eff-off so maybe that was what instigated the punch, if it happened. Everyone ran to Jussie Smollett’s defence even though the story was fishy right from the begining. I’m not saying this didn’t happen to Laverne, but maybe not exactly as told.
startenout
Yup Roy sounds just like one of those bigots we KNEW would use the Smollett story to deny other people being attacked. How about you just don’t say anything since “the community” includes the millions of people who have seen Ms. Cox on her many many highly publicized tv shows and appearances but does NOT need to include you.
Roy Ajax
Startenout
A bigot is someone intolerant of someone else’s beliefs or opinions. I’m willing to debate this, but it seems like you just want to shut me up. Who’s the bigot?
Leash
Oh come on people know who she is. Roy, the thing you do here is try to downplay/question what happened because you’re obviously not to keen on transgender people. If it was just a random bum or not doesn’t matter. That guy asking if she was a girl/guy should be enough to indicate that he knew her and wanted to start some sht. There is nothing to debate here, you’re just trying to be a dick for attention.
LumpyPillows
We must all be diligent, especially these days. Sad whenever any of us is attacked. Trans women seem to get the worst of it. So angering.
tallskin2
Hmmmm, no mention of the many more gays and lesbians in the US and in other countries who are being attacked in far greater numbers than the few trans who suffer abuse and attacks!
It feels to a gay campaigning veteran like me that all our gay and lesbian orgs have been captured by trans. Gays and lesbians suffer attacks every day yet one piss elegant tranz breaks its nail and it’s front page news across the entire LGBTQ+ meeeja
Roy Ajax
You’re right. I don’t know when we were hijacked. LGB.
Leash
It’s attention that you need huh? Well here you have it, you’re welcome, my pleasure: Why would anyone mention gays/lesbians in a story about Laverne Cox being the target of transphobia? (rhetoric question, they wouldn’t).
Transgender are the most vulnerable in our community and need our support the most. Or to say it in a easy to understand, meme-friendly format for you: Kim, there’s people that are dying.
We can easily proove that, try this at home: Walk next to a transgender person through the streets and see who get’s more shit thrown at them. Noone will even look at you. (oh, is that why you’re upset?)
You’re like those people who yell “all lives matter” when it’s just not about them this one time.
Gay campaigning veteran? Oooh okay I understand, so you’re old, the world changes faster then they used to (at least for you) and you’re scared. Don’t be scared grandpa, white gays still are the most priviliged in our community and they always will. THE IRONY for someone like you – claiming to be a “gay veteran” – to go out on the internet and actively attack transgender people. The opressed becoming the opressor, how can you not see that? Get with the time old man or perish!
Roy Ajax
Leash
Gay men continue to be the biggest group to face anti-LGBTQ+ violence in the US. Recent study (2017) states there were 679 instances of violence against gay men. Gay women 126 instances. Non-binary and trans 119 instances. The stats are from the FBI hate-crime stats report. Even putting gay women and trans/non-binary people together, gay men still suffer greater instances of violence by a wide margin. What’s frustrating is that so much attention is being paid to trans people, for even the most minor offence, but gay men are being ignored again.
Leash
But Roooy,
1.7% of individuals in the US identify as being either gay or lesbian.
0.6% of adults (1.3 million people) in the United States identify as transgender.
Transgender are a minority inside a minority = thats why there are less incidents on violence against them.
Also those statistics don’t show what kind of violence, could be “just insulsts”, while transgender people often times GET STRAIGHT UP MURDERED. Can’t find info on how many gays have been killed this year, but I can tell you that 40 transgender people have been killed in the US in 2020 (25 in 2019 so the trend goes up). Plus transgender often times are afraid to go to the police or even face discrimination from the police, so the numbers of “non lethal incidents” might even be a lot higher.
Come on Roy, not saying everything is fine for gay men, but we have it so much better then transgender. I think it speaks for itself that Biden is the first president to even acknowledge transgender people. So yeah its freaking time we shed a little light on them.
tallskin2
1st December 2020, today’s court case in the UK high court on kids not being allowed to take toxic puberty blocking drugs is excellent news though.
This girl, Keira Bell, was brainwashed by the trans industry into thinking she could change sex so at age 16 was waved through all the safeguards, given toxic drugs, had her breasts cut off and then years later when in her 20s decided she’d made a terrible mistake but now has suffered permanent damage- so she’s sued the clinic that just waved her through
Good result for sanity
Ronbo
“Waved through all the safeguards” is intentional denial of reality of existing laws and protections.
I’ve found that researching the OPPOSITE of your opinion is often the best way to form an accurate opinion based upon fact. Knowing and understanding all sides is critical to knowledge. More importantly, doing actual research PRIOR to forming an opinion is how your get an informed opinion..
tallskin2
“I’ve found that researching the OPPOSITE of your opinion is often the best way to form an accurate opinion based upon fact. Knowing and understanding all sides is critical to knowledge. More importantly, doing actual research PRIOR to forming an opinion is how your get an informed opinion..|
What on earth does this mean?
Anyone?
Leash
He’s telling you to get your head out of that dark place it’s in right now (your ***).
“Keira Bell was brainwashed by the trans industry” Oh please, you sound like those people worried about a gay agenda being forced upon them. Are you also in favor of Russia’s anti LGBT “propaganda law”? Because you sound just like those morons thinking gay people have this secret evil plot to make kids gay.
She was not brainwashed, she just suffered from gender dismorphia and was maybe badly treated (we dont know). I’m sorry for her, but a study by Stonewall says from 3,398 transgender patients who had appointments at an NHS Gender Identity Service between 2016 and 2017, less than 1% said they had experienced regret after transitioning or had detransitioned.
Fun challenge for you: Actually get to know a transgender person in real life.