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Laverne Cox Releases Memoir Transcendent, Opens Up About Trauma and Trans Representation
When Laverne Cox, the trailblazing actress and activist, turned the page on her life, she invited readers into a memoir that cuts to the core of trauma and triumph.
On Tuesday, the 54‑year‑old star published Transcendent through Gallery Books. The book traces Cox’s journey from a childhood marked by abuse to her breakthrough role on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black and her ongoing work in film, television, and advocacy. A panel discussion at Hearst earlier this week saw Cox explain why she chose to write the book now, how the act of writing has been both painful and healing, and what she believes is needed for greater trans representation in mainstream media.
Cox first entered the public eye when she was cast as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black in 2013. The role earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2014, making her the first transgender person to be nominated in an acting category. In 2015 she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer of Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, becoming the first transgender woman to win that honor. She has also appeared in the Netflix series Inventing Anna and the CBS drama Doubt, and has been a frequent speaker on transgender issues.
Cox said she had been offered a memoir deal as early as 2014 but declined because “I was told then that the only trans memoirs that sell are the ones that go into detail about medical transition.” She added that she wanted the book to be “transparent and raw and unflinching” and that she was hesitant to expose her trauma. “I just was like, ‘I’m not going to do that. So maybe I’ll just wait until I’m 70 to write a book, and I can really spill all the tea,’” she recalled. The decision to write changed when she met with her publisher, Gallery Books, about a different project. “We were meeting with Gallery about something else, and of course she was like, ‘What about a memoir?’” she said. She explained that she used a writing approach that mirrored the dissociation she had used as a child to protect herself, hoping it would help her tell the story without re‑traumatizing herself. “I felt like with therapy, I’d done a good amount of work that I could go into that fire, but I thought that the memories that were suppressed would stay suppressed,” she said.
Cox acknowledged that writing the memoir was not therapeutic for her childhood chapters. “I mean, the childhood chapters I can’t say were therapeutic. They were me going back into what happened and how awful it was,” she said. She noted that some later chapters, such as the one titled “Boys, Boys, Boys,” felt empowering. “I felt empowered. I always had a critical relationship to my relationship to men,” she said. She also reflected on how she had learned to value herself after years of feeling abandoned and unworthy. “What a miracle it is that I don’t feel that way today; what a miracle it is that I, not just intellectually, but somatically in my core, know that I am worthy of love, and I know that I’m deeply lovable,” she said.
The panel also covered Cox’s highly publicized relationships, including a brief romance with a police officer who was a Trump supporter. She said that the man, who she refers to as “Giuseppe” in the book, had not read the memoir. “None of them have read it. My brother, before he approved things, because I didn’t change my brother’s name, he wanted to know every place he was mentioned in the book,” she said. She described how the man had shared details about their relationship with others, leading to a public backlash. “I was dragged for filth all up and through every corner of the internet,” she said. She added that she had no “boyfriend screening” at the time and was looking for a friend‑with‑benefits arrangement.
Cox also discussed the impact of Orange Is the New Black on her career. She said that when she was 40 in 2012 she was in debt and considering leaving acting for graduate school. “I was old and I needed to have a savings. I was waitressing, but I was working in a restaurant, but I was doing that so I could have time to go to acting class so I could commit to being an artist,” she said. She recalled auditioning for the pilot of Orange Is the New Black and being cast in a small role that ultimately led to a seven‑season run. “I booked it from that one audition, and I was just so happy to be working,” she said. She described the audition room as diverse, with women of different ages, races, and sexual orientations, and noted that the show’s inclusive casting was something she had never seen on television before.
When asked what steps are needed to increase trans representation, Cox said that while the fashion industry and theater have made progress, film and television executives remain cautious. “Ultimately, their fiduciary responsibility is to return a profit to their shareholders,” she said. She suggested that regulation or incentives might encourage more inclusive storytelling. She also highlighted the importance of rehumanizing incarcerated people, noting that her role as a trans woman in prison on Orange Is the New Black exposed audiences to the humanity of those behind bars. “Gender‑affirming care is not mutilation. This is dehumanizing language, and then calling that out and reminding people that trans people are human beings,” she said.
The memoir’s release comes at a time when trans visibility continues to grow in mainstream media. Cox’s book adds to a growing body of autobiographical work by transgender artists that challenges industry norms and offers insight into the personal costs of representation. The book is available in hardcover, paperback, and digital formats, and Cox will be touring for book signings and speaking engagements over the coming months. She has also announced that she will continue to produce and star in projects that foreground trans narratives.
On Tuesday, the 54‑year‑old star published Transcendent through Gallery Books. The book traces Cox’s journey from a childhood marked by abuse to her breakthrough role on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black and her ongoing work in film, television, and advocacy. A panel discussion at Hearst earlier this week saw Cox explain why she chose to write the book now, how the act of writing has been both painful and healing, and what she believes is needed for greater trans representation in mainstream media.
Cox first entered the public eye when she was cast as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black in 2013. The role earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2014, making her the first transgender person to be nominated in an acting category. In 2015 she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer of Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, becoming the first transgender woman to win that honor. She has also appeared in the Netflix series Inventing Anna and the CBS drama Doubt, and has been a frequent speaker on transgender issues.
Cox said she had been offered a memoir deal as early as 2014 but declined because “I was told then that the only trans memoirs that sell are the ones that go into detail about medical transition.” She added that she wanted the book to be “transparent and raw and unflinching” and that she was hesitant to expose her trauma. “I just was like, ‘I’m not going to do that. So maybe I’ll just wait until I’m 70 to write a book, and I can really spill all the tea,’” she recalled. The decision to write changed when she met with her publisher, Gallery Books, about a different project. “We were meeting with Gallery about something else, and of course she was like, ‘What about a memoir?’” she said. She explained that she used a writing approach that mirrored the dissociation she had used as a child to protect herself, hoping it would help her tell the story without re‑traumatizing herself. “I felt like with therapy, I’d done a good amount of work that I could go into that fire, but I thought that the memories that were suppressed would stay suppressed,” she said.
Cox acknowledged that writing the memoir was not therapeutic for her childhood chapters. “I mean, the childhood chapters I can’t say were therapeutic. They were me going back into what happened and how awful it was,” she said. She noted that some later chapters, such as the one titled “Boys, Boys, Boys,” felt empowering. “I felt empowered. I always had a critical relationship to my relationship to men,” she said. She also reflected on how she had learned to value herself after years of feeling abandoned and unworthy. “What a miracle it is that I don’t feel that way today; what a miracle it is that I, not just intellectually, but somatically in my core, know that I am worthy of love, and I know that I’m deeply lovable,” she said.
The panel also covered Cox’s highly publicized relationships, including a brief romance with a police officer who was a Trump supporter. She said that the man, who she refers to as “Giuseppe” in the book, had not read the memoir. “None of them have read it. My brother, before he approved things, because I didn’t change my brother’s name, he wanted to know every place he was mentioned in the book,” she said. She described how the man had shared details about their relationship with others, leading to a public backlash. “I was dragged for filth all up and through every corner of the internet,” she said. She added that she had no “boyfriend screening” at the time and was looking for a friend‑with‑benefits arrangement.
Cox also discussed the impact of Orange Is the New Black on her career. She said that when she was 40 in 2012 she was in debt and considering leaving acting for graduate school. “I was old and I needed to have a savings. I was waitressing, but I was working in a restaurant, but I was doing that so I could have time to go to acting class so I could commit to being an artist,” she said. She recalled auditioning for the pilot of Orange Is the New Black and being cast in a small role that ultimately led to a seven‑season run. “I booked it from that one audition, and I was just so happy to be working,” she said. She described the audition room as diverse, with women of different ages, races, and sexual orientations, and noted that the show’s inclusive casting was something she had never seen on television before.
When asked what steps are needed to increase trans representation, Cox said that while the fashion industry and theater have made progress, film and television executives remain cautious. “Ultimately, their fiduciary responsibility is to return a profit to their shareholders,” she said. She suggested that regulation or incentives might encourage more inclusive storytelling. She also highlighted the importance of rehumanizing incarcerated people, noting that her role as a trans woman in prison on Orange Is the New Black exposed audiences to the humanity of those behind bars. “Gender‑affirming care is not mutilation. This is dehumanizing language, and then calling that out and reminding people that trans people are human beings,” she said.
The memoir’s release comes at a time when trans visibility continues to grow in mainstream media. Cox’s book adds to a growing body of autobiographical work by transgender artists that challenges industry norms and offers insight into the personal costs of representation. The book is available in hardcover, paperback, and digital formats, and Cox will be touring for book signings and speaking engagements over the coming months. She has also announced that she will continue to produce and star in projects that foreground trans narratives.
