Transgender actor Laverne Cox says that President Donald Trump’s reversal of federal diversity rules has cost trans actors “so much money” as the backlash to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs grows.
Cox, 54, says that Trump’s focus on rolling back DEI has ended many of the opportunities that once came the actor’s way.
“I’ve lost so much money because of this administration, the past year,” Cox told Attitude magazine.
“I managed to stay busy with acting and branding work, as well as speaking engagements. But I never thought college speaking gigs would dry up,” Cox added.
Cox added that speaking to colleges is important because of years of student loan debt.
“I was working really hard to get out of a financial hole. But then I was also working hard to try to lift up my community,” Cox insisted, adding that speaking about transgender issues on college campuses is important to “humanize” trans people.
But with the Trump administration’s campaign to force colleges and universities to shut down their focus on DEI, the opportunities to speak have ended.
“This administration is very punitive with anything that suggests DEI or gender ideology, and corporations have been very scared,” Cox exclaimed.
“The past year or two, I’ve had to dip into savings and my retirement fund. So, the blessing is that I finally have the privilege to have a retirement fund to dip into, but you don’t really want to do that,” the Orange Is the New Black star said.
In another interview with the Gay Times, according to the Daily Mail, Cox insisted that “it’s important for every person to turn out and vote and let our voices be heard. It’s a call and reminder that, just because we have rights now, it doesn’t mean those rights won’t be rolled back.”
“Trans women who are doing sex work are more likely to experience violence as well,” Cox added. “Trans people are being forced into survival sex work so that’s another reason.”
Cox also furthered the claim that trans people are murdered at a higher rate than other people, and said, “At the end of the day, we haven’t had enough of a cultural shift where we can believe and understand that trans women are women. That is at the heart of why we’re being murdered.”
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