Laverne Cox spoke to Katie Couric about the diversity of the #MeToo movement in an interview released Thursday.
“I think we can always be more intersectional,” the 45-year-old actress said of the movement. “We can always include more people.”
Cox, who was a guest of Couric’s podcast, cited Harvey Weinstein’s attack on Lupita Nyong’o as an example of the discrimination that has occurred in the movement. “I remember all the actresses came out and said that he had assaulted them and done the things he’s accused of doing. First person he challenged was Lupita Nyong’o. A black woman.” She continued, “All of these other women, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t say I didn’t do it. But the first person he challenged was Lupita Nyong’o. And I think, this can’t be a coincidence.”
The conversation then turned to trans women’s role in the movement, which Cox believes is an issue that could be handled better. “I notice when some trans women have come forward and say that they have been sexually assaulted there has been a different tenor in terms of the ways they’ve been believed as opposed to other women who are not trans,” she said.
Later in the interview, Cox talked about an incident she experienced where “the encounter was consensual but then something happened that wasn’t consensual.” She said that when she eventually confronted the man “he had no idea that his behavior was predatory, that he didn’t have consent.” The incident made her realize, “We have to be really careful about the messages we’re sending to our young people of all genders about what consent is.”