Queer identity and financial resilience are intersecting in ways many aren’t talking about. Laverne Cox, the Emmy-winning star of Orange Is the New Black, recently opened up about how the current political climate is affecting her wallet—and her spirit.
In a candid interview with Attitude, Cox revealed that she’s lost significant income as brands and corporations scale back queer identity initiatives and diversity work. “I’ve lost so much money because of this administration, the past year,” she said. “I managed to stay busy with acting and branding work, as well as speaking engagements. But I never thought college speaking gigs would dry up.”
The hit to her finances has been real. Cox now relies on her savings and retirement funds—a safety net she didn’t always have. “I was working really hard to get out of a financial hole,” she continued. “But then I was also working hard to try to lift up my community.”
It’s a testament to her journey that she even has a retirement fund to fall back on. Cox didn’t land her breakthrough role until she was 40, and she was carrying student loan debt with no savings at that time. That role transformed everything—until now.
“This administration is very punitive with anything that suggests DEI or gender ideology, and corporations have been very scared,” Cox explained. The fear rippling through corporate America has left creators, speakers, and advocates in a precarious position.
Still, she’s grateful for the privilege of having built something. “The blessing is that I finally have the privilege to have a retirement fund to dip into,” she said, “but you don’t really want to do that.”
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