At the 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, Academy Award-nominated actress Ellen Paige surprised Stephen F. Kolzak Award recipient Laverne Cox by bringing out Laverne's mother Gloria to the stage. Following the surprise, Gloria joined Laverne backstage to speak with Access Hollywood about loving her transgender daughter and what she would tell the parents of LGBT children.
Access Hollywood has been backstage at the GLAAD Media Awards for several years, sharing important stories of celebrities speaking out for LGBT equality. Each year during the GLAAD Media Awards, the staff of GLAAD work with attendees and entertainment media to bring LGBT-inclusive messages to the forefront of the press attention around the Awards.
"I've been talking to kids all over the country, and they say, 'how do I talk to my mother?' or, 'how do I talk to my father, or my siblings, about being trans, or about being gay or lesbian?'," Laverne told Access Hollywood reporter Shaun Robinson. "I feel like I just got really, really, lucky. But I try to tell the truth, and I say that we did not get there easily…we had to have some really difficult conversations."
When asked what it has been like for her, Gloria responded, "Understanding, and praying, and talking, and continuing to talk. And, most of all, love." As for her advice to parents of LGBT children, Gloria said, "Listen. Listen to your children, take note of actions, and talk. Open dialogue…that's the most important thing."
See the full Access Hollywood interview with Laverne Cox and her mother Gloria in the video below:
Watch Laverne's mother Gloria suprise Laverne on stage at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles below: