Photo of Laverne Cox. Taken by Greg Hernandez
Thanks, once again, to the generosity of Gray Fund, activist and actress Laverne Cox came to Reed College on the evening of November 11. The event, which took place in Kaul Auditorium, was open to members of the Reed community, with proof of ID, as well as non-members with Reed sponsors.
Thirty minutes before the doors opened, a line stretched from Kaul all the way to Sallyport. A few minutes after seven, Cox walked onto the stage, welcome by a frenzy of applause. Cox opened her lecture: “I stand in front of you a proud African-American trans woman.”
Cox began with significant moments from her childhood, such as a third grade experience when she went to Six Flags with her church. Having recently seen Gone with the Wind, she was inspired to buy a hand-held fan from the gift shop. However, her teacher stopped her before she was done trying it out. A call home ensued, hence the famous quote from her teacher to her mother: “Ms. Cox, your son is going to end up in New Orleans in a dress if we don’t get him into therapy.”
Providing insight into her story, Cox explained the difference between humiliation, guilt, and shame, based on Brené Brown’s work. Humiliation comes with a “healthy dose of pissed-offed-ness.” Guilt relates to someone’s actions and decision-making. Shame, the most harmful of the three, tends to be internalized and cause long-term damage. She quoted Brown in reassuring the audience that “shame cannot survive an environment of empathy.”
Cox described her journey as a dance major and young person at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where she came into her style with the help of the “Salvation Armani.” However, she learned the most valuable aspects her identity at nightclubs in New York. “Some of the people I would meet in the nightclub scene in New York would change my life,” she reflected, referring to a woman named Tina Washington, whose incredible transition inspired Cox.
To conclude, Cox made a few things clear. She encouraged her audience to keep in mind that “Trans is beautiful” and to repeat it on social media with a hashtag. “Misgendering someone is an act of violence,” she announced, speaking from her own experiences and those beyond. Even though “hurt people hurt people,” she explained that pitting marginalized groups against each other is often “the tool of the oppressor.” And finally, “pronouns matter.” Then she took questions.
Cox participated in a more private question and answer session afterwards with a select group of students in the Parker House, and ended the evening with photos.