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Why Laverne Cox on the cover of Time magazine is important

Los Angeles - ICYMI: The June cover of Time magazine has set social media on fire because it features actress Laverne Cox, who is transgendered.

The raven-locked beauty from America forms part of a piece in the mag entitled The Transgender Tipping Point.

See the cover here:



This cover is important because:

1) Times are changing : Just like the 1997 Time cover featuring a newly out Ellen Degeneres proclaiming "Yep, I’m Gay" it marks a watershed moment in media coverage of a demographic forced to live on the periphery of society.



2) Visibility is so important: Whether you’re LGBTIQ (lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgendered,intersexed and questioning) or not, being able to see someone you identify with on the cover of magazines and on TV is important. It lets you know that no matter how different you are from most of the people you see every day, you’re not abnormal because there is no “normal”. 

There’s just majority and minority. It’s okay to be in the minority. You can still be successful even if you don’t fit into a mould. Ms. Cox on the cover sends that message loud and clear.

3) It will get people talking and that’s a good thing: We know, just as well as anyone, that words can hurt and that this cover will be met with a lot of negativity from people who are uncomfortable; from people that want to reduce Ms. Cox to a surgery or a poor pronoun joke. But let those people talk, because those conversations have to happen. So that some brave soul around them;on the internet or even Time magazine itself can stand up to those bigots and let them know that their time is over. It only takes one spark to light up the darkness of humanity.

4) She looks amazing: On a purely superficial level she is a knock-out and we love to look at pretty things so thank you to whoever made that banging-blue dress and thank you to Laverne for knowing how to rock it.

5) The domino effect: Because this courageous and talented actress is letting her light shine regardless of whatever may come someone else is more than likely to do the same.

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