By MARISA LORANGER, Staff Reporter.
Saginaw Valley State University’s O’Neill Arena held 2,250 people the night of Feb. 17 for the transgender rights advocate Laverne Cox.
According to Tyler Bradley, President of SVSU’s Program Board, people came all the way from Ohio to see the spokeswoman. Some were there because of Cox’s role in the hit television show ‘Orange is the New Black’ and others were there to hear about transgender issues.
Cox made it clear why she was there by kicking off her speech with, “I stand before you tonight, a proud African American transgender women.”
As a child, Cox was bullied. “I was told I acted like a girl and I didn’t know what that meant because we know girls act all sorts of ways” said Cox.
In sixth grade, Cox tried to commit suicide because she did not live up to society’s of masculinity and she felt she had failed her grandmother that had recently passed. Cox thought her grandma knew that she was attracted to boys.
In college, Cox was gender non-conforming and shopped at the local Salvation Army. She would alter the women’s clothing that she bought turning them into “Salvation Armani.”
She entered the party scene in New York City after moving there for college at Marymount Manhattan College. It was the first time she felt a part of something and good about herself. As a stylish gender non-conformist she was let in for free and given free drinks because her presence would bring people to the clubs.
It was the first time that Cox thought she could transition.
Six years into transition, Cox was still getting “spooked” (a term that she uses to describe when people can tell you are transgender and publically out you). Now, she has realized that “being transgender is beautiful, so it’s okay if people can tell that I am trans.”
Cox wants people to know that pronouns (she/her/hers, he/him/his, them/then, etc.) matter to people and creating a safe space is a great way to make people feel okay about who they are. “As long as we live in a world where people have to prove their gender, gender policing will not end.”