Laverne Cox said she and a friend were accosted in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park over the weekend in a transphobic encounter that turned violent.
The “Orange Is the New Black” actor went live on Instagram shortly after the incident took place, saying it had left her shocked and “super triggered.”
“It’s not safe if you’re a transperson,” Cox said. “Obviously, I know this well.”
The star said she and a companion were out for a socially distanced walk and that she was dressed in a hoodie and face mask. The two passed a man who “very aggressively” asked for the time. Her friend answered.
“Then, the guy who asked for the time says to my friend, ‘Guy or girl?’ My friend says ‘fuck off,’” Cox said, saying she looked back and then “all of a sudden, the guy is attacking my friend.”
“I was like, what is happening? The guy is hitting my friend, and then my friend is going towards him and I’m like, holy shit,” she continued.
The transgender rights activist said she took out her phone to call 911 but the confrontation de-escalated quickly.
“I just can’t believe it got physical,” Cox said. She wondered aloud whether she should have recorded the incident and what else she could have done, while reminding transgender people in similar circumstances not to blame themselves.
Cox said her friend was physically “fine” and that she was also safe, but that she planned on texting her therapist to help her process the incident.
“I’ve been harassed and bullied my whole life,” the four-time Emmy nominee said. “Living in fear is not a good thing.”
It did not appear that the actor reported the incident to police, but HuffPost still reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.
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