Laverne Cox's income has dropped 'significantly''
Laverne Cox has seen her income reduce by 90% over the last two years.
Laverne Cox's income has dropped "significantly" if recent years because institutions don't want to be seen as "promoting trans ideologies".
The Orange is the New Black actress has always suppliemented her screen earnings as a brand ambassador, a public speaker in colleges and for businesses, and as a presenter, but in the last two years, her finances have dropped by a staggering 90% because she is no longer getting booked and contacts are not being renewed.
However, Laverne still feels very "blessed" and wants attention to be drawn towards other trans people who are experiencing similar difficulties.
She told The Guardian newspaper: “This regime has threatened to defund any colleges and universities that promote gender ideology, DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion].
"[I don't get teaching work because] even though I’d be teaching a graduate acting class, it could be perceived as promoting trans ideology. These are the realities.
"I’m not complaining – I’m very blessed. I think the important thing to note is that if Laverne Cox’s income has gone down significantly, what about all the other trans people who are not as privileged and as blessed as I am?
"There are material consequences for this kind of discrimination and scapegoating.”
The 54-year-old actress believes alarm bells shout have rung with Project 2025, a far-right blueprint drawn up by the Heritage Foundation ahead of Donald Trump's re-election.
She said: “All these words had to be taken out of every piece of legislation, policy, government document: gender, gender ideology, gender identity, LGBTQ, DEI, abortion, contraception.”
Laverne got her big break as trans inmate Sophia in Netflix's Orange is the New Black, but she admitted she never expected the show to be as successful as it was and initially viewed it as a platform for other opportunities.
She said: “I didn’t think anybody would go for it; my hope was that casting directors might see it and I could get more work.
"How can I parlay this into other opportunities? And then it ended up being successful.
"After a few months, it got crazy walking down the street, so my life changed a lot. When people ran up to me in the past, it was to assault me or call me things.”
