Laverne Cox Shines Bright As Lady Liberty On the Cover of "Entertainment Weekly"

The news of Olympian Caitlyn Jenner’s transformation has been everywhere lately—but before she had the courage to come forward with her story, we had Laverne Cox, the actress who plays Sophia Burset on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, and paved the way for acceptance in our culture.

Her role in the series became the first time many people found themselves being familiarized with a transgender character, and since then she’s used her popularity as a platform to bring attention to trans* issues. She was the first transgender woman nominated for an Emmy and to land a cover of Time magazine, and surely, there are many more firsts to come in her future.

Thursday, Entertainment Weekly unveiled “The Not-So-Straight” issue, with Cox looking radiant on the cover, dressed up as the ultimate symbol of freedom, Lady Liberty. Though it sometimes feels like the country is moving at a glacial pace in terms of human rights issues, the fact that Cox can be shown as an icon of freedom, the right that we as Americans value the most, makes it seem like we’re on the right path after all. Here’s a look at all the times Cox has broken down stereotypes and social norms on the covers of magazines.

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