NEW YORK — Actor Laverne Cox discussed her childhood experiences, including conversion therapy, and the cultural landscape for transgender individuals during an interview on a public radio program on June 22, 2026. Tonya Mosley conducted the interview.

Cox, who wrote the memoir "Transcendent," spent most of her childhood in Mobile, Alabama. She began studying dance in third grade. During a church field trip to Six Flags in third grade, Cox used a paper fan to cool herself, an action that led her teacher to contact her mother. Cox recounted her mother's reaction to the teacher's call, stating, "And then later that day, my mother comes in and tells me she had gotten a call from the school and [my teacher] said that I would end up in New Orleans wearing a dress if we didn't get me into therapy right away."

Cox was sent to conversion therapy at age 8 or 9. During this therapy, a therapist suggested injecting Cox with testosterone. Cox said, "The idea was that that was supposed to make me more masculine." Her mother declined this suggestion. As an adult, Cox expressed anger about these childhood experiences, including how her mother responded to bullying incidents. She stated, "My mother ... instead of having an impulse to protect me or care for me or ask if I was OK, she made it my fault."

Cox moved to New York City in the 1990s, where she auditioned for roles as a dancer and an actor. She began her medical transition in 1998 at the age of 26. In high school, Cox purchased girls' clothing from thrift stores in Mobile and Birmingham, though she did not wear skirts or dresses until college. Cox's twin brother portrayed her pre-transition character in a television series after she asked him if he would be open to the role.

Cox stated her perspective that after 2023, transgender individuals had experienced a cultural shift. She observed, "After 2023, it became very clear to me that we, that trans people had lost the culture." She also commented on how societal attitudes can influence children, noting how actions by political figures and media commentators can embolden some children's behavior.