Laverne Cox cried after U.S. Supreme Court judges ruled in favour of legislation that offers lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people more protection in the workplace.
The landmark ruling, which makes it illegal for an employer to terminate anyone from a job due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, was announced on Monday.
The Orange Is the New Black star, who is transgender, has long campaigned for LGBTQ rights and met up with some of the plaintiffs in the case, which determined whether LGBTQ people are protected by the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and her closeness to it led to tears as she thought the case was lost.
"We were really bracing ourselves for disappointment," Laverne told The Hollywood Reporter. "We were bracing for a loss. Obviously, because of the conservative nature of the court, I am in shock, honestly. I cried a few times thinking about it today.
"I just think about (plaintiff) Aimee Stephens who I had the honor of meeting on 8 October last year in front of the Supreme Court. I got to stand beside her. She made history. I think about (plaintiff) Gerald Bostock who I did get to meet last year and then of course (plaintiff) Don Zarda who passed away in 2014 and didn't live to see this. These courageous Americans stood up against injustice and I am so immensely grateful to them."
Explaining what she thought would be the likely effect of the ruling, the actress added: "Federally it is (now) not legal to fire someone for being gay or for being transgender in their job. My friends on the case at the ACLU says because now we have federal law that says that discrimination on the basis of sex covers transgender status and transgender orientation that should have ripple effects for health care, for public accommodation, for housing."
Taylor Swift, Ellen DeGeneres, Cynthia Nixon, Mandy Moore, and Busy Philipps also expressed their delight at the Supreme Court decision, which came just days after U.S. President Donald Trump rescinded transgender healthcare protections.
