Laverne Cox: “Respectability Politics Is Not It. Period.”

The Laverne Cox Show

Shondaland Audio and iHeartPodcasts

Education, Society & Culture

4.6 • 770 Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Laverne Cox joins HIGHKEY! to talk trans erasure, identity, and surviving Hollywood in 2025. She shares how the cancellation of Clean Slate affected her personally and financially, and explains why being palatable to white audiences didn’t protect her. Laverne breaks down her evolving stance on respectability politics and the growing divestment from trans stories. She also revisits a recent speech where she called out Gavin Newsom by name—and why she’s done playing nice. A raw and thoughtful conversation about power, creativity, and what it takes to keep going.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay, what's up, girlies? Now, if y'all love this show, I know you do, please support the Patreon.
0:06.9	Yes, the Patreon's where we're posting all the bonus content.
0:09.9	Every week, there's going to be extra segments, behind the scenes, there's going to be special group chats, all sorts of special access stuff that you can't get anywhere else.
0:18.1	So special. We've got a lot of fun stuff for you.
0:21.7	And so, so get in while the water is warm.
0:24.4	Please.
0:25.0	That, I don't, water being warm.
0:27.0	Yeah, what are you, what are you even trying to say there?
0:29.3	What are you doing?
0:29.8	Join our Patreon.
0:31.8	Yeah.
0:36.1	Guys, I almost got hate crimes yesterday.
0:39.3	And it was, what would have been my second hate crime?
0:41.5	Did you deserve it?
0:42.7	I actually didn't this time.
0:44.7	I remember the last time I got called a faggot
0:46.4	was because I got in a full-on fight
0:48.1	with this entire Russian family on the plane.
0:50.7	Well, the crazy thing is I'm going to say what you told Ben.
0:52.9	It could have happened to anyone. It's not because you're gay. It could have happened to anyone. It's because you're
0:58.0	annoying.
0:58.4	Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, I happy Friday and welcome to High Key.
	...

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