Transgender actress and advocate Laverne Cox has been chosen as one of Glamour's women of the year.
The Orange Is the New Black star's advocacy and limitless support for the LGBT community has turned the actress/advocate into an icon. She uses her platform to continually educate the public about the complex, robust lives and identities of transgender people. She told Glamour, "I always knew when I got a public platform, it was part of my job to educate people...Being famous to just wear lovely clothes—which I do love doing—that's not for me."
To say she's fulfilled her goal is an understatement. Last month, Cox lit the Empire State building for GLAAD's annual Spirit Day, an event designed to stand up to the bullying of LGBT youth.
She also produced and directed a documentary called Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, which followed seven transgender youth from all over the country as they lived out their day-to-day lives. This summer, Ms. Cox graced the pages of TIME, making her the first trandgender person to be featured on the cover of the illustrious magazine.
In the words of media titan and two-time Glamour Woman of the Year Katie Couric, Cox is being recognized because "her unparalleled candor, courage, and eloquence have helped us understand a community that is far too often misunderstood. She teaches us that gender identity lives, first and foremost, in our hearts and minds."
Ms. Cox has always been a friend to GLAAD. At the 2014 GLAAD Media Awards, she was honored with the Stephen F. Kolzak award.
Another member of the LGBT community was named one of the women of the year in 2014. Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts can join in on the celebration.
The survivor: @RobinRobertshttp://t.co/vAPSsrCMN3#GlamourWOTY
— Glamour (@glamourmag) November 6, 2014
Like Cox, Roberts hails from the American south. She was born in Alabama and raised in Mississippi. The emmy-award winning journalist is not only a two-time cancer survivor but she also courageously came out at the beginning of this year. She and longtime girlfriend Amber Laign have stepped out in support of the LBGT community on several occasions since. Her strength has strength and gumption have landed her as a Woman of the Year. Though for Roberts, life is not merely about survial. "I didn't just want to be alive," she told Glamour, "I wanted to live."
Other LGBT allys were honored by Glamour: UN Ambassador Samantha Power, political royalty Chelsea Clinton, and Hollywood starlet Lupita Nyong'o. Nyong'o was a presenter at the 2014 GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.