Transgender actor Laverne Cox condemned President Trump’s executive orders regarding trans individuals during an appearance on “The View” on Friday.
Transgender actor Laverne Cox savaged President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders, calling them “illegal” during Friday’s episode of “The View.”
Cox appeared on the ABC daytime talk show alongside actor and comedian George Wallace to talk about their new TV series, “Clean Slate,” a show about a father who reconnects with his child – played by Cox – who has recently transitioned into a woman. Cox used the opportunity to slam the current administration’s executive orders limiting transgender language in the federal government.
“I think in terms of the administration and all this propaganda and lies – everything he’s doing is illegal, by the way,” Cox told the ABC panel.
Co-host Ana Navarro kicked off the political discussion, mentioning her respect for how Cox blends activism with acting, and asking the actor to weigh in on Trump’s recent executive orders.
Trump last month signed an executive order, titled, “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”
The EO clarifies that it is U.S. policy to recognize two sexes, male and female, and that men and women are biologically distinct, along with addressing how agencies should handle these directives.
The president also signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order on Wednesday, mandating that public institutions will determine an individual’s eligibility for women’s sports to be based according to their biological sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction.
Cox told “The View” about feeling anti-trans discrimination for “the past several years” at this point.
“It started at the state level, many years ago,” the actor said. “You know, what is it? 26 states banned ‘gender-affirming care’ for young people. This has been happening at the state level for many years. So, I’ve been devastated because trans families have had to relocate for many years, parents have been criminalized, so it’s been devastating. Now it’s happening on a federal level.”
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Cox talked about loving trans people and people in general, and added that Trump’s orders are “horrible.”
The “Orange is The New Black” star hoped that the executive orders “will be challenged in the courts” because of their alleged illegality.
“At the end of the day, trans people are less than 1% of the population and trans people are not the reason you can’t afford eggs, that you can’t afford healthcare. We’re not the reason you can’t buy a house or your rent’s too high,” Cox said. “I think they’re focused on the wrong 1%. I think the other one percent is the reason for all those things.”
