Trans actress and advocate Laverne Cox took a moment to speak with Janet Mock, trans advocate and host of MSNBC's So Popular!, at Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner about Bruce Jenner's interview on a Diane Sawyer special of ABC's 20/20.
"I think a lot of people tuned in expecting to see a spectacle, and they tuned in and saw a profoundly nuanced, complicated, beautiful human being," Cox said. "I had spoken to Bruce several months back, and the same person I had spoken to on the phone, who really just loves their children so much and wants their family to be happy, was the person I saw on television last night."
"I think it's important to note that this is just one story, that Bruce's story is very specific. Most trans people don't have that kind of privilege, don't have the kind of privilege that I have or that you have and at the end of the day the visibility I had last year and continue to have didn't save Blake Brockington from suicide, didn't save Leelah Alcorn from suicide, didn't save the seven trans women who were murdered the first eight weeks of this year," she went on to say. "So, visibility matters, but structural change and policy change is really what needs to happen so the lives of all trans people will be better. That's when visibility matters, when it can save lives and influence the changes of hearts and minds."
Check out the full interview below.
E! has confirmed the premiere date of a new docu-series about Jenner's life as a woman will premiere on the network July 26, and daughter Kim Kardashian West appeared on the TODAY show to speak in support of her parent. Many other celebs including Ellen DeGeneres, the Kardashians, Oprah, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and more showed their support for Jenner on social media.
Please note: At this time, Bruce Jenner has not requested that a new name or pronoun be used, therefore we are respecting his wishes and will continue to refer to Jenner by his current name and with male pronouns. Some transgender people prefer to change their name and/or pronoun quickly. Other transgender people may take more time to decide what name and/or pronoun feels right to them. To be respectful, use the name and/or pronoun requested by the individual.