Laverne Cox has a new romantic partner and opened up about the budding relationship as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Read More: Laverne Cox exits sex work doc ‘Sell/Buy/Date’ amid backlash
“Laverne is in love again. It feels amazing. Love is an incredible thing. It’s literally this chemical thing that’s awesome,” she remarked. “He’s a really great guy. I didn’t expect it. I thought he was just going to be this hot dude I was going to be hanging out with, and then it just kind of happened.”
The actress and LGBTQ advocate did not reveal her new boyfriend’s name however she did share that this is the first time he has dated a transgender person. Cox said they have been spending time together for a while.
“We’ve been hanging out for six months. It went really slowly. The word love just sort of happened around November, December,” she said. “He’s never dated a trans woman before like my last two boyfriends also had never dated a trans woman before. The interesting thing, when you’re famous you kind of want them to be really discreet. Historically, guys have been like, ‘don’t tell anybody,’ and now I’m like ‘don’t tell anybody.”
She continued to break down how dating as a trans woman is challenging, as trans women are often marginalized and are at greater risk of violence.
“The issue over the years for me as a trans woman and other trans women is that the womanhood of trans women is often disavowed,” she said. “A lot of people don’t see trans women as women. So, the men that are attracted to women, people think they are gay. And if you are a straight man, you don’t want people to think you’re gay. So a lot of the times they don’t want to disclose or want to let anyone know.”
The relationship is not the only thing new in Cox’s life. As theGrio reported, the actress is the host of a new Shondaland podcast, set to premiere this year in February through iHeartRadio. The podcast, The Laverne Cox Show, will feature intimate conversations between the award-winning actress and a series of guests.
Read More: Actress Laverne Cox was the victim of a hate crime
“I’m thrilled to be continuing and expanding my relationship with Shondaland by doing my first podcast with Shonda’s amazing team along with iHeartRadio. I can’t wait for everyone to hear the incredibly interesting conversations I have had with my guests,” Cox said in a statement, according to the report.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!