Laverne Cox Says She's 'in Shock' but 'Safe' After She and a Friend Were Attacked

In an Instagram video posted on Saturday, Laverne Cox said that she and an unnamed friend were attacked while walking through Los Angeles’ Griffith Park by a man who asked if she was a “guy or girl.” The Bad Hair star, who is trans, said that she’s “safe” now, though the attack left her “triggered” and “in shock” as it brought back similarly painful experiences from her past.

“I have dealt with this a lot, but I guess it never fails to be shocking,” she said. “It’s not safe in the world. I don’t like to think about that a lot, but it is the truth. It’s not safe if you’re a trans person. Obviously, I know this well, but yeah, it’s just really sad.”

Cox went on to clarify that although her experience may be a common one shared by many trans people, that this doesn’t make it right or deserved.

“It’s not your fault that there are people who are not cool with you existing in the world,” she said. “It was not my friend’s fault. It was not my fault. We have a right to walk in the park. We chose to walk in the park.”

“It’s not your fault if something like this happens to you,” she continued. “If you can, travel with friends. It’s great to be safe out there. Be careful. I love you. Stay safe. Happy holidays.”

“I remember the year Gwyneth Paltrow won over that incredible actress who was in Central Station,” the Hillbily Elegy star said in a recent interview, per Us Weekly, referring to Fernanda Montenegro. “I thought, ‘What?’ It doesn’t make sense.”

Literally who asked but also not incorrect!

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• Nineteen-year-old actress Josie Totah is excited to play a trans “mean girl” in the upcoming Saved by the Bell reboot. [NBC News]
• So, Queen Elizabeth has watched The Crown at least once (and, according to either Princess Eugenie or Princess Beatrice—series star Vanessa Kirby forgets which one—she “loved it”), Prince Philip has denied it, Prince Charles has “refused” to, and Prince William claims he hasn’t. [The New York Times]
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• Billie Eilish says the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on her life have very much influenced her next album. [Pop Crave]
• As spotted by writer Evan Ross Katz, Brooks Marks, the immediate fan-fave gay son of one of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, not only has a clothing line out (all of it bearing all-caps text trim that reads “BROOKS MARKS BROOKS MARKS BROOKS MARKS BROOKS MARKS”), but also it’s all sold out.