Laverne Cox of Orange Is The New Black fame spoke about the #MeToo movement on Katie Couric's podcast on this week.
.@lavernecox on our latest podcast: "The interesting irony of my life is that before I transitioned, kids called me a girl, and after I transitioned, people call me a man." Listen and subscribe here: https://t.co/0NwkaKFSRs
pic.twitter.com/jviCkEOWZw— Katie Couric (@katiecouric) February 8, 2018
“I think we can always be more intersectional,” said Cox of the movement, which aims to give a voice to women who have dealt with sexual harassment, assault and abuse. “We can always include more people.”
As a black trans woman, Cox spoke on the importance of including intersectional layer into the conversation around abuse, as they add important nuance.
Cox cited Harvey Weinstein's statement in response to Lupita Nyong'o's account of the trouble she suffered at his hands as an example.
“I remember all the actresses came out and said that he had assaulted them and done the things he’s accused of doing. First person he challenged was Lupita Nyong’o. A black woman.”
Cox continued, “All of these other women, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t say I didn’t do it. But the first person he challenged was Lupita Nyong’o. And I think, this can’t be a coincidence.”
The actress also said she couldn't help but notice how different the public's reaction to the stories of trans women seem to be. “I notice when some trans women have come forward and say that they have been sexually assaulted there has been a different tenor in terms of the ways they’ve been believed as opposed to other women who are not trans,” she said.
Cox later opened up about her own experience with sexual misconduct. “The encounter was consensual but then something happened that wasn’t consensual.” She eventually confronted the man involved who she said, "had no idea his behavior was predatory, that he didn't have consent."
The star went on to note that the experience made her realize the importance of explicitly explaining consent, and making sure people understand what consent really means. “We have to be really careful about the messages we’re sending to our young people of all genders about what consent is,” Cox said.
