American actress and activist Laverne Cox was BOTD in 1972. Born in Mobile, Alabama, she was assigned male at birth, and was raised by her mother. She showed an early interest in drama and dance, though was discouraged from pursuing ballet as it was too feminine for a young boy. Prolonged bullying and her anxiety over her gender identity led her to attempt suicide at the age of 11. She won scholarships to study dance at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham and Indiana University, where she began to embrace androgyny. Transferring to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, she joined the city’s trans community and began living and identifying as female. After appearances in TV series Law and Order, she starred in the 2010 reality series TRANSform Me. Her breakout role as trans prisoner Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black launched her to fame, becoming the first transgender actor nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and appearing on the cover of Time magazine. She won a Daytime Emmy for her reality show Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, starred as a lawyer in the short-lived TV drama Doubt, and had supporting roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Inventing Anna. Her film appearances include the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot, Promising Young Woman and a (terrible) TV film of The Rocky Horror Picture Show as Dr Frank-N-Furter. A prominent activist, she is credited with raising awareness of transgender issues, especially violence against transgendered people.