Laverne Cox reveals she and a friend were victims of a transphobic attack

Laverne Cox is thankfully safe at home after a terrifying attack this weekend. The Orange Is the New Black star was walking in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park on Sunday with a friend when the two were approached by a man. The man was looking to attack Cox and thankfully her friend stepped in and de-escalated the situation, but not until things got physical. Cox says the attack was understandably scary, triggering, and nothing new for anyone who is transgender.

Cox says she and her friend were walking through the park when the man approached them and aggressively asked for the time. Speaking to her followers on Instagram Live, Cox said that the man then tried to spook her by asking “Guy or girl?” Cox said her friend replied “F—k off,” and the man responded by physically attacking her friend. Cox quickly grabbed her phone to call 911 and said that the incident was thankfully over before she was able to finish dialing, noting that her friend was able to de-escalate the attack and prompt the man to leave them alone.

"This dude was looking for trouble ... because I happened to be a trans person in public," said Cox, adding that she was going to call her therapist to help her process the trauma. "That's all it felt like. This isn't shocking to me – obviously, this is my life. I've dealt with this a lot, but it never fails to be shocking, I guess. I've been trans my whole life, I've been harassed and bullied my whole life. None of this is new, but it's still just kind of like, why do you need to be aggressive?"

Cox is the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for an acting Emmy and is the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on broadcast TV in Doubt. An advocate for the transgender community, Cox is also the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time and Cosmopolitan. As Cox notes, she is subject to transphobic attacks just like any other member of her community. "If doesn't matter who you are. You can be, like, Laverne Cox, whatever that means. If you're trans, you're going to experience stuff like this."

Cox recorded the video only moments after returning home and was still in the same outfit she was wearing while walking in the park, which consisted of a black hoodie, black yoga pants and a black mask. The actor said she began blaming herself for the attack and looking for ways that it could’ve been avoided before remembering that what had just happened was in no way her fault. "We were walking in the park. We weren't doing anything... It's just – it's not safe in the world," Cox continued. "I don't like to think about that a lot, but it is the truth, and it is not safe if you're a trans person."

Cox said that she decided to share her story to remind herself and others watching that when these types of attacks happen, it has nothing to do with the victim. “I think it's important to remind myself and remind you that when these things happen, it's not your fault. It's not your fault that there are people not cool with you existing in the world."

Cox received an outpouring of support from her fans and famous friends, including Kerry Washington, Indya Moore, Rain Valdez, Lena Waithe, Niecy Nash, Robin Thede, Jamie Chung, Meghan Trainor, Lee Daniels and Alok Menon. Cox’s Orange is the New Black cast mates also posted messages of love, including Adrienne C. Moore and Kimiko Glenn.

The attack against Cox comes just days after the annual Trans Day of Remembrance. The Human Rights Campaign reports that 2020 has seen a rise in transgender or gender non-conforming people being fatally shot or killed by other violent means. Black and Latinx transgender women represent the largest number of victims.