Actress Laverne Cox Becomes First Transgender Person To Cover Time Magazine, Tells Her Story [PHOTOS]

Time Magazine unveiled its latest cover on Wednesday, featuring transgender actress, Laverne Cox. Cox, who is best known for her role as Sophia Burset in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black, is featured under the headline 'The Transgender Tipping Point'. Cox has received several awards for her work as the first transgender black woman to have a leading role on a mainstream US television show.

Despite these groundbreaking achievements, Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people failed to include Cox when it was unveiled in April. Before the list was announced, Cox had received considerable

support in the website’s 100 most influential people reader’s poll. Time’s omission of Cox prompted a backlash, and a social media campaign that used the rallying cry: #whereisLaverneCox.

Cox's appearance on cover seems to be the magazine’s answer to that criticism. Though its audience is declining, Time remains one of the most popular magazines in the US, and its circulation was 3.3 million in the second half of 2013.

Cox, who is also a popular speaker on gender roles, spoke to Time about how transgender people are often misunderstood:

 “There’s not just one trans story. There’s not just one trans experience. And I think what they need to understand is that not everybody who is born feels that their gender identity is in alignment with what they’re assigned at birth, based on their genitalia. If someone needs to express their gender in a way that is different, that is OK, and they should not be denied healthcare. They should not be bullied. They don’t deserve to be victims of violence … That’s what people need to understand, that it’s okay and that if you are uncomfortable with it, then you need to look at yourself.”

Cox says her trans story began at a very young age and she even had a revelation when she was just in the third grade. "Up until that point I just thought that I was a girl and that there was no difference between girls and boys," she admits. "I think in my imagination I thought that I would hit puberty and I would start turning into a girl."

Sadly, Cox suffered lots of abuse, physical and verbal, growing up. She even tried committing suicide at one point. Cox says she definitely believes trans kids growing up today are lucky to have trans role models for support and reassurance.

"I think there are more media representations that young trans people can look to and say, that's me, in an affirming way," she says. "There's just so many resources out there now that it makes you feel like you're less alone and gives some sort of sense of, ‘Okay, this is who I am and this is what I'm going through,' as opposed to being, ‘What the f--k is wrong with me?' That was what I grew up with."