Star of Orange is the New Black and transgender actress Laverne Cox will host a documentary on the lives of young trans men and women in the US.
The hour long documentary will focus on the real lives of four cast members, ranging in age from fourteen to twenty-four.
Those featured in the Cox doc hail from diverse neighborhoods across the country and will share stories of overcoming challenges including intolerance, bullying and general confusion about who and what they are. The four cast members will let cameras in as they deal with medical, psychological and social hurdles with varying levels of parental and social support.
Cox’s Sophia, one of the major characters of Orange is the New Black, is one of the very few trans characters in media today that is actually portrayed by a trans actor or actress. In a field of representation that scarce, Cox is already doing volumes more to present the struggles of the trans community to a wider audience simply by playing her role. But Cox has also dedicated herself to speaking and advocating on behalf of trans awareness, earning a GLAAD award for her work in making a “significant difference in the promotion of LGBTQ equality.”
Trans Teen will air simultaneously on MTV and Logo (both Viacom networks) this fall. Orange is the New Black returns to Neflix with a full season on June 6th.
(story via The Hollywood Reporter, pic credit Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com.)
