Here’s a little girl power to brighten up your day: actress/activist/queen Laverne Cox penned a moving letter in support of Caitlyn Jenner’s brave and beautiful Vanity Fair cover, as well as what the cover means for the trans community. Actually, that’s more like a lot of girl power. In a post on her personal Tumblr account, The Orange is the New Black star wrote, “Yes, Caitlyn looks amazing and is beautiful but what I think is most beautiful about her is her heart and soul, the ways she has allowed the world into her vulnerabilities.”
Since yesterday’s highly anticipated reveal of Vanity Fair’s #CallMeCaitlyn cover, we’ve seen several articles and posts in support of Caitlyn’s transition, but Laverne’s heartfelt letter is the first of its kind. So far, we have seen a few negative responses to the cover photo from celebs like Drake Bell and Timbaland, but the majority of reactions have been positive. Fans have voiced their opinions in praise of Caitlyn’s new look, with headlines like “Caitlyn Jenner Stuns on the Cover of Vanity Fair.” The internet was flooded with tweets and posts which only seemed to speak to her appearance—until Laverne stepped in.
While Caitlyn has received an overwhelming amount of support from friends, family, and fans about how she looks, Laverne’s letter on Tumblr was exactly what the conversation needed. In an attempt to start a dialogue about trans beauty standards, she wrote, “A year ago when my Time magazine cover came out I saw posts from many trans folks saying that I am “drop dead gorgeous” and that that doesn’t represent most trans people.” Caitlyn’s cover photo looks amazing, but what so many fans are missing is the person behind the transition. We are looking at a woman who is finally getting to be herself and letting us be a part of it.
What makes Laverne’s post so important is that she is acknowledging that not all trans people have the opportunity to be on the cover of magazines. Although the support of her transition is certainly a step in the right direction, Caitlyn’s photo on the cover of a magazine doesn’t reverse the struggles that all trans people experience in their daily lives. Laverne ended her letter by saying, “I hope, as I know Caitlyn does, that the love she is receiving can translate into changing hearts and minds about who all trans people are as well as shifting public policies to fully support the lives and well being of all of us.” Thanks to the courage of these two women, maybe the media will finally realize that this conversation is about so much more than what the trans community looks like.