Laverne Cox was home alone Tuesday night watching the election news. But she decided to stop it when it seemed certain that Donald Trump would be re-elected after it didn’t look like Kamala Harris could win Pennsylvania. “He had about 246 voters. I was like gone,” Cox tells me in a special new episode of the Just for Variety podcast. “I cried.”

She adds with a laugh, “Then I watched ‘Daredevil’ and ‘The Defenders’ on Disney+.”

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In the months and days leading up to the election, Trump and his running mate JD Vance flooded the campaign trail with anti-trans ads and rhetoric. We spoke with Cox Thursday morning on Zoom for a special episode of “Just for Variety” to get her take on what a second Trump presidency could mean for the trans community in Hollywood and beyond.

Cox tells me she and several trans friends are so worried they’re considering leaving the US. “We’re doing research on different cities in Europe and the Caribbean,” she says, adding that she knows more people are trying to move to states that are considered safer for trans people.

Cox likens the possibility of a very anti-LGBTQ Trump administration to Weimar Germany: “There was a thriving community of queer people in Berlin before the rise of Nazism. They attacked the Jews. They attacked immigrants, they attacked queer and trans people.”

The following questions and answers have been edited and condensed. You can listen to the full conversation with Cox “Just for variety” here or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

Kamala Harris was very pro-LGBTQ. What were you hoping for if she won?

My hopes were high. There has been a massive attack on LGBTQ+ rights at the state level in this country. I think 26 states have a ban on grooming gender-affirming youth. In 25 or 26 states, they ban trans girls from playing sports. There are also book bans that have occurred in many states of queer authors, as well as black authors, black queer authors, bans on African American AP history. Everything is intersectional. I’m certainly concerned about LGBTQ+ rights, but I think it’s no coincidence that the attack on LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people, is happening at the same time as there is an organized attack on reproductive rights. There are people on the right who are trying to repeal no-fault divorce.

As a black trans woman, how do you move forward?

I don’t want to be too scared, but I am. As a public figure, with all my privileges, I am afraid and especially scared because I am a public figure. I feel like I could be targeted. I think they spent close to $100 million on anti-trans ads. It is deeply worrying.

Did you call anyone on election night?

No, it was late. I was texting someone who voted for Trump earlier in the night.

A strange person?

Not. He’s a cisgender, straight, white male. It’s really interesting and really complicated because this friend of mine told me that they’re sad. Since everyone at their workplace was celebrating Trump’s win, it was sad for me. He cares about me and loves me and was sad for me. That was interesting.

I’ve already heard stories of trans people hoarding their hormone treatments.

I’m done with medical transition, but I have to take estrogen for the rest of my life. If I stop, I get hot flashes. It’s really bad. I have to take estrogen just for health. I don’t know if that will be possible anymore. There’s a site I’ve already been to. I haven’t bought any yet because I’m talking to my doctor to make sure everything is reputable and good. But, yeah, I’m going to build up a lot of estrogen. It’s a little more complicated for trans men because testosterone is a controlled substance. But there are online resources.

You think there’s a chilling effect where trans and queer creatives, both in front of and behind the camera, will say, “Maybe this isn’t the time to present this story. Maybe this story is a little too trance or weird?” Or we see a lot of inspirational quotes on Instagram that say, “This is the time for artists to stand up and create art.” But when you’re trying to pay your rent…

I think we can create the art, but will anyone buy it? For the last eight, eight or nine years, I’ve been actively putting on shows, a lot of them trans. Nice stories too. I’m tired of some of the shows that weren’t bought. They were really beautiful, with really amazing people involved, amazing producers, amazing showrunners, like Oscar-winning partners, top-notch collaborators. And the projects were not bought. It was about four, maybe five years ago, I said, “Don’t buy trans stories.”… There are brilliant talents, brilliant writers, brilliant storytellers who are trans, and so many trans stories that need to be told. But I have to be honest, I’m in a pivotal place. I am committed to trans storytelling because it is my passion. But then again, I have to pay the rent.

What is your advice for a young trans person coming to Hollywood for the first time now?

I have a friend who has a trans daughter. She is 16 years old and because she was able, because she had supportive parents, she was able to transition before puberty. She made a social transition and was able to access puberty blockers. So in high school, she’s sneaky. None of the kids know they are trans. If a young person has the privilege of receiving gender-affirming care that blocks their puberty and can live in hiding, I’d tell them to do it. This is obviously not an option for everyone. That wasn’t an option for me, but I think if you can live on the sly right now… I’m so scared for her (Cox starts crying). I just want them to be safe. At this point, whatever you have to do to stay safe and not get killed or terrorized as much as you want to kill yourself, (do it to) stay alive.

But I would also say that when I dreamed of having a leading acting career as a trans person, everyone thought I was crazy. I remember in 2011, I had made this independent film and I went back to Lucky Chang’s (a legendary drag restaurant in New York) and I was talking to one of the drag queens. I was like, “Oh my god, I just did this independent movie and I think I had my Oscar scene.” And she said, “Yeah, girl, right.” For example, “This Laverne is delusional.” But look, I don’t have an Oscar yet, but it happened. I have a career as an actor and producer and other things. No one thought it was possible. So always follow your dreams. Never give up on your dreams, no matter the circumstances. I would also say learn the business, learn the market and be safe. Find ways to create your own work, create your own opportunities with social media. You have business savvy along with a commitment to art and never give up on your dreams.

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