Black Gaye History: Laverne Cox, the Worlds First Transgender Barbie

History | Feature Spotlight

Laverne Cox is an actress, television presenter  LGBTQ+ rights advocate, and the first transgender woman to have a Barbie doll made in her likeness.  Cox was born on May 29, 1972, in  Mobile, Alabama, and was raised by a single mother alongside her identical twin brother.

At age 8 Cox began dancing, competing at local dance recitals in her hometown with hopes of becoming Broadway-bound. 

After years of cultivating her dance skills, she received a scholarship to study classical ballet at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) in Birmingham, Alabama. After graduating from ASFA she accepted a dance scholarship to Indiana University at Bloomington eventually transferring to Marymount Manhattan College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance.

Before her break-out role as Sophia Burset on Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,”  Cox was fearlessly advocating for the trans community on television. 

In 2008 she appeared on the VH1 competition reality show “I Want to Work for Diddy.” Her appearance on the show helped her gain her show, “TRANSform Me.” This show earned her a producing credit making her the first African American trans woman to produce and star in her television series.

Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)

In 2013 she joined the cast of Netflix’s, “Orange Is the New Black.” The show’s runaway success garnered Cox media attention, making her one of the most visible transgender actresses in the world. She

In June 2014, Cox made history when she became the first openly transgender person to be featured on the cover of TIME magazine. In 2016, a wax statue created in her likeness debuted at Madame Tussauds, making her the first transgender woman to receive a statue at the museum. 

In January 2022, Cox replaced Guiliana Rancic as host of  E! Networks Live from the Red Carpet starting in January 2022, replacing Giuliana Rancic.

On the eve of her 50th birthday, it was announced Cox would partner with Mattel for a special doll made in her likeness making her Mattel's first transgender Barbie. 

"It's been a dream for years to work with Barbie to create my own doll," Cox said in a statement after the announcement of the doll. . "I can't wait for fans to find my doll on shelves and have the opportunity to add a Barbie doll modeled after a transgender person to their collection. I hope that people can look at this Barbie and dream big like I have in my career.  The space of dreaming and manifesting is such a powerful source and leads you to achieve more than what you originally thought was possible." 

This year Cox executive produced and starred in the Amazon Prime sitcom “Clean Slate”. The series follows Cox as  Desiree a transgender woman, who returns to her small town in Alabama to reunite with her father Harry (George Wallace) after spending 23 years apart.