Laverne Cox, transgender star in ‘Orange is the New Black,’ to speak at UNC Asheville

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Press release here:

Transgender actress Laverne Cox, best known for her role in the Netflix Orange Is the New Black series, will give a talk, Ain’t I A Woman: My Journey to Womanhood, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. She will address how the intersections of race, class and gender uniquely affect transgender women of color. Cox will also host a question and answer session, followed by a meet and greet opportunity after her lecture.

Cox is an actress, writer, producer and transgender advocate. She is the first African-American transgender woman to appear in a reality television program, and the first to produce and star in her own television show, the VH1 program, TRANSform Me. Cox was named to the inaugural “Trans 100” list of trans activists making a difference in the day-to-day lives of trans people, and was the recipient of the New York City Anti-Violence Project’s 2013 Courage Award.

Tickets are $5 and available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Cox’s lecture is sponsored by UNC Asheville SAIL and Underdog Productions. For more information, contact the Courtney King, associate director of SAIL programming, at [email protected] or 828.232.5145.