Watch: Laverne Cox talks bravely about her suicide attempt as a youth
Actress and activist Laverne Cox has talked openly and bravely about her suicide attempt as a youth in a new interview.
Cox told This Week with George Stephanopoulos she was “bullied and internalized a lot of shame as a child” because of her gender expression.
She said: “There is a cultural environment where trans people are told that who we are is a mistake and that we should try to be someone else.”
Cox said in an off-camera interview with This Week: “I was called sissy, I was called the f-word. I was chased home from school practically every day. There was always a kid or groups of kids who wanted to beat me up.
“The suicide attempt happened when I was in sixth grade and I was having all these feelings about other boys. And I didn’t want to live.”
She added: “I’m really, really happy that I survived. If I didn’t survive, I wouldn’t be here today.”
In July, Cox became the first openly trans actress to ever be nominated for an Emmy award.
Cox was featured on the cover of June’s TIME magazine.
In April, the actress was presented with GLAAD’s top media award, the Stephen F. Kolzak Award.
Watch some of Cox’s interview below:
