Laverne Cox: Bruce told me coming out was better than winning a gold medal
Laverne Cox said she has spoken to Bruce Jenner, who is “really pleased” with the public’s support.
Bruce Jenner, an Olympic gold medal winner and reality TV star, came out as trans on Friday.
Trans star Laverne Cox told MSNBC on Saturday that she had spoken to Jenner after the interview, and expressed her hope it will have a positive influence.
She said:”I think a lot of people tuned in expecting to see a spectacle, and they tuned in and saw a profoundly nuanced, complicated, beautiful human being.
“I had spoken to Bruce several months back, and the same person I had spoken to on the phone, who really just loves their children so much and wants their family to be happy, was the person I saw on television.
“I also think it’s important to note I spoke to Bruce today, and they were really pleased with the way things went last night.
“[Jenner is] still a hero. And what Bruce said to me today was – I said ‘This is like another gold medal,’ and they said, ‘This is better than a gold medal.
“What Bruce really wants to come out of this, beyond not really being able to transition privately, is that people’s lives will be saved, and that people will be helped by this.
“And this is always my hope. And I think that’s when visibility matters, when it can save lives and influence the changes of hearts and minds.”
She recently became the first trans woman to pose nude for Allure magazine.
