'Orange Is The New Black' Laverne Cox: 'Men Who Date Transgender Women Face More Stigma'

“Orange is the New Black” actress Laverne Cox claims that more than the transgender women, the men who are attracted to them and takes the chance to date them, are the ones who are being more stigmatised. Society’s gender rules and labels are so entrenched that it affects everyone, even straight identified men because they are afraid to go against the rigid ideas of what it means to be a straight man.

Speaking with SiriusXM Progress (via Huffington Post), one of the currently most famous transgenders in America, shared that majority of the men who feel attraction to transgender women or are dating them can experience more stigma than the trans women are experiencing. “I think a man who is dating trans women, who is a celebrity, or famous or is an athlete or something, needs to come forward –- or a musician –- and needs to say, ‘I love transgender women and [they] deserve to be loved and I’m going to declare that publicly.’ I think those men need some sort of inspiration and hope, so they can live more authentically.”

She added that gender is “policed” in the society that not only the transgender people are being affected negatively, but also men who identify as straight. She said she dated many men who identified themselves as straight struggle with the whole thing because they have rigid understanding of what it means to be a straight man, because these ideas are deeply internalised into them.

Cox has also been very vocal about Caitlyn Jenner’s transition as well. On Tumblr (via Entertainment Weekly), she wrote that Caitlyn is really brave and beautiful for letting people know of his transition. On her part though, she shared she feels lucky that she did not have to transition in public like Caitlyn did. Even though many lauded Caitlyn’s coming out and ultimate transition, with some even calling her a hero, Cox said she feels really grateful that she was able to transition in private. Transitioning in the public can make the transition the main story, and people would be more interested in the surgeries that took place. Many would not be able to see the other issues that the transgender community has to deal with.

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