The Emmy nominations are out and history continues to be made as Laverne Cox of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black has become the first openly transgender woman to be nominated for an Emmy award.
Extra reports that Cox has earned herself a slot in the Outstanding Guest Actress of a Comedy Series for her portrayal as Sophia Burset, an inmate who has committed credit card fraud to pay for her sex change surgery.
The actress is beyond thrilled as she told E! Online, "I'm a black trans woman from Mobile, Alabama with a working class background raised by a single mother and I'm nominated for an Emmy! Wow!"
This nomination will not stop Cox from continuing to work hard for the transgender community as she mentioned, "It's important to remember that just because this one trans woman is having a lovely career high, it's still a state of emergency for trans people all over the country. There were four trans women murdered in the month of June…I am enjoying this but there's still work to be done for our community."
When asked on whom she will bring to the event, Cox hopes to bring her mom but would also like to bring her agent. In addition she is hoping a designer will be willing to dress her.
Congratulations to her and the entire cast on their nominations!
image credit via Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com