Laverne Cox says she and friend were targeted in transphobic attack, actor still 'in shock'

"Orange is the New Black" star Laverne Cox has said she and her friend were subjected to an attack over the weekend, saying if one is trans, they are going experience stuff like this for "no fault" of theirs.

"Orange is the New Black" star Laverne Cox has said she and her friend were subjected to an attack over the weekend, saying if one is trans, they are going experience stuff like this for "no fault" of theirs. The actor, who rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series by becoming the first openly trans person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in any acting category, opened up about the incident in an IGTV video posted Saturday. Cox said she was still "in shock" and feeling "super triggered" after walking with a friend at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. She said they were walking when a man "aggressively" asked them for the time. "Then the guy who asked for the time says to my friend: 'Guy or girl?'" Cox said. "My friend says, 'F*** off.'" Cox said though she was walking ahead, she quickly realised the man attacked her friend and they began fighting. "The guy is like hitting my friend, and then my friend is going toward him and I'm like 'Holy s***'. I pull out my phone and I call to dial 911, and all of a sudden it's over and the guy is gone," she said.

The 48-year-old actor said she believes the attacker wanted her to answer his question instead of her friend. "The guy really wanted me to answer so that he could spook whether I'm trans or not. I don't know why, I don't know why it matters. At the end of the day, it's like who cares? I'm in a hoodie and yoga pants, I'm completely covered up, I've got my mask on. Who cares if I'm trans? How does this affect your life?" Cox said the incident wasn't new to her as she has "had a long history of street harassment in New York". "Obviously, this is my life. I've dealt with this a lot, but it never fails to be shocking," she said.

The actor said she is "lucky and grateful" her friend was there and the attack was a reminder that "it's not safe in the world". "It doesn't matter who you are. You can be Laverne Cox, you know, or whatever that means. If you're trans, you're going to experience stuff like this. "(But) It's not your fault that there are people not cool with you existing in the world. We have a right to walk in the park," Cox said.