In the end, though, it doesn't really matter who Laverne Cox was, but who she is now. Her start came on the VH1 show I Want To Work For Diddy, and from there spun off into her very own, outrageously successful show called TRANSform Me. 2013 was the year that Laverne really exploded into public consciousness, when she debuted on Orange Is The New Black as Sophia Burset.
The list of acting and producing credits goes on and on (and the first trans actor to receive an Emmy nomination!), but what stands out most from Laverne's recent career is her courage and ferocity while tackling LGBT issues head on. She's the one that sparks the conversations and spreads awareness through her activist approaches, and she's the one we've all got to thank for becoming wiser and more accepting.