Laverne Cox, star of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, will speak at Macalester College in St. Paul on October 13 as the Lectures Coordination Board’s fall speaker. Cox will present “Ain’t I a Woman: My Journey to Womanhood.”

Cox’s portrayal of Sophia Burset in Orange is the New Black has earned an Emmy nomination, and Cox is the first transgender woman of color in a leading role in a mainstream television show. In 2014, she became the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of TIME magazine. She’s also producing a documentary called “Free Cece!” about Cece McDonald, a transgender woman of color who killed her attacker in south Minneapolis and was sentenced to prison. The film is about McDonald’s experience, and her supporters’ efforts to get her released on grounds that she acted in self-defense.

Cox has also been a frequent speaker about transgender equality and racial equity.
Tickets for the event will go to Macalester students, faculty, and staff. If tickets don’t sell out, the remainder will be made available to the general public. For more information, visit Macalester College.