The Laverne Cox Show

Hi, Shondaland fans! Dive into the ultimate love story that sparked the world. Inside Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story The Official Podcast, you’ll hear from celebrated writer Shonda Rhimes, Series Director Tom Verica, and the enchanting cast with exclusive interviews. Listen to Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story The Official Podcast now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts! About Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story The Official Podcast: Host Gabrielle Collins continues her Bridgerverse deep dive, this time taking on the Shonda Rhimes helmed prequel Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Every episode, we’ll explore Shondaland’s official take on the one-of-a-kind story. Binge the series on Netflix and join us for character deep-dives and the creative processes that brought the show to life with Shonda Rhimes, Tom Verica, India Amarteifio, Corey Mylcreest, and more. Listen to new episodes of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, The Official Podcast, every Thursday starting May 18. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, Laverne Cox fans! iHeartPodcasts and Shondaland are excited to announce Katie’s Crib Season 5 - a show about unexpected joys, pains, foibles, and hilarity of new motherhood hosted by Scandal actress Katie Lowes. Each week Katie conducts a frank, intimate conversation with a fellow mom about the ups and downs of being a new parent and then brings in an expert to help put things into perspective. A fulfilling talk show-style podcast but don't just take our word for it. Check out the...

Hi, Laverne Cox fans! iHeartPodcasts and Shondaland are excited to announce Inventing Anna. The companion podcast of a Netflix series that will delve deeper into the story of Anna Sorokin - the fake heiress who stole the hearts – and money – of New York’s social elite. A story that will keep you guessing but don't just take our word for it. Check out the trailer to decide for yourself! About Inventing Anna: Based on the Netflix show, Inventing Anna, the companion podcast will delve deeper...

Hi, The Laverne Cox Show fans! We're excited for the launch of the Dominant Stories podcast hosted by culture expert Jess Weiner. It's a brand new show from Shondaland and iHeartRadio and we think you'll enjoy it too. Don't just take our word for it, though. Check out the trailer and decide for yourself! About the podcast: Dominant Stories is a conversation series that reclaims and rewrites the stories we’ve been told about our bodies, our beauty, our creativity, and our identities. For...

On this final episode of the season, the one and only Billy Porter talks about his life in show business. He also candidly shares the trauma of his student days at Carnegie Mellon, the AIDS crisis, and bankruptcy, and his evolution into a multi-award winning superstar. Billy has wisdom to share about what it means to be a true artist dedicated to your craft and explains how his creative expression has been a tool to work through his trauma. Much of that trauma ironically stemming from working in creative industries which, back in the 80’s and 90’s, had little tolerance for an openly gay black man. His new memoir, Unprotected, is the life story of a singular artist and survivor. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. Unprotected: A Memoir by Billy Porter: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unprotected-billy-porter/1138773867 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, Jennifer Burton Flier joins Laverne again to go deeper into the Community Resiliency Model and to tie in so many of this season’s episodes on healing. They’re all connected! Laverne and Jennifer go over practical skills that you can use to build your resiliency for this (very) challenging world. Those skills are tracking, resourcing, grounding, gesturing, shift and stay, and help now. You can find more helpful therapeutic tips and information in the first episode with Jennifer Burton Flier, “Trauma Resilience and Healing.” Jennifer is a senior faculty member with the Trauma Resource Institute and Laverne’s personal therapist! Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. As always, stay in the love. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Poor people have always been shamed. Writer, producer and award-winning journalist Mary O’Hara says that’s not new, but the last 40 years of government and corporate interests have created a focused initiative to demonize people who need financial and social assistance. Between the creation of the Welfare Queen trope in the 80’s and vilifying single mothers in the 90’s, most people do whatever they can to not be associated with safety nets. They’re ashamed. In this powerful conversation, Laverne and O’Hara break down the larger game at play, the lasting effects of experiencing poverty, and the importance of people sharing their stories. Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. As always, stay in the love. Show References: The Shame Game: https://www.shamegamethebook.com/ Project Twist-It: https://www.projecttwistit.com/ Project Twist-It on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNLum6yi4QnBbQf0HF_ojdw Pro-Publica Report - 25 Billionaires Pay Fraction in Taxes: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax https://www.propublica.org/article/how-we-calculated-the-true-tax-rates-of-the-wealthiest Urban Institute report on poverty rate: https://www.urban.org/research/publication/2021-poverty-projections-assessing-impact-benefits-and-stimulus-measures Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Laverne introduces us to her opera singing teacher of 25 years, the celebrated opera lecturer, Metropolitan Opera Broadcast co-host and retired diva, Ira Siff. Ira is the creator of La Gran Scena, the all-male cross-dressed opera troupe that performed internationally for over 20 years to much critical acclaim with a cult-like following. Ira was the prima donna of La Gran Scena as his diva alter ego, Madame Vera Galupe-Borszkh. Vera was an amalgamation of the most famous opera stars of the 20th century. As Vera, Ira toed the line between spoof and adoring tribute with a thoughtfulness that earned La Gran Scena the praise and patronage of the very same opera stars Scena lovingly spoofed. Known for his lectures and the approachable manner in which he talks about opera, Ira breaks down opera history while telling stories of growing up as an “opera queen” in New York, and the insane fandom of diva worship. // Glossary of Opera Terminology: Aria: A self-contained piece for a singer, or “solo.” In opera, arias mostly appear during a pause in dramatic action when a character is reflecting on their emotions. // Bel Canto: An Italian vocal technique or “school” developed and popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries. It places emphasis on beauty of sound and brilliance of performance rather than dramatic expression and romantic emotion. // Coloratura: Elaborate ornamentation of a vocal melody, especially in operatic singing by a soprano. // Falsetto: A method of singing used by male singers, especially tenors, to sing notes higher than their normal range. // Forte: A musical direction that means “loud.” // Legato: (adj.) Smooth and flowing in manner, without breaks between notes. // Libretto: The text of an opera (or other vocal work). // Lucia: Short for “Lucia di Lammermoor,” a famous opera work by Gaetano Donezetti. // Ornaments (ornamentation): Musical flourishes or embellishments (such as a trill or a slide) that are not essential to carry the overall line of the melody, but serve instead to decorate or “ornament” that line. // Pianissimo: A soft performance, played or sung quietly. // The Met: The Metropolitan Opera House in New York. // Tosca: A famous opera by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. // Traviata: Short for “La Traviata,” a famous opera by Giuseppe Verde. La Traviata also goes by the name “Camille” in English, which was the title of the book that inspired it. // Verismo: An operatic genre that attempts to portray the world with greater realism. It came about in the 19th century and often focuses on subject matter that was not previously fit for opera, such as the life of the poor. // Wagner/Wagnerian: Richard Wagner was one of the most famous Opera composers of all time. He lived during the 19th century. Notable operas include: Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre, Lohengrin. // Famous Opera Divas // Joan Sutherland, active from 1947 - 1990. // Maria Callas, active from 1945 - 1965. // Renata Scotto, active from 1952 - 2002. // Leontyne Price, active from 1952 - 1997. // Leonie Rysanek, active from 1959 - 1996. // Montserrat Caballé, active from 1956 - 2018. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There truly is no better person to discuss spiritual matters with than the delightfully foul-mouthed Reverend Valerie Spencer, therapist, activist and creator of Holistic Empowerment Institute. After an epiphany while meditating on the beach, Valerie decided to “take the God out,” which she explains. Now she specializes in healing that goes beyond physical and mental health. Valerie makes spiritual and relational healing approachable while drawing from a mélange of religious, ethno-spiritual, and academic traditions. Valerie’s awareness of her connection to her anointed trans ancestors is a history lesson not to be missed. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is about addressing misinformation, educating, and correcting the record. Right wing media has gone largely unchecked making false claims, distorting statistics, and outright lying primarily about gender-affirming care for trans kids and trans women and girls in sports. The mean-spirited outcry has led to legislators quoting this media and bills becoming very real laws intended to extinguish transgender people. 2021 has seen the highest number of state bills presented and passed in the last 10 years. But the danger of these bills isn’t just for transgender people. These laws potentially affect the privacy and bodily autonomy of all kids, especially girls. // Chase Strangio is Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender rights. He has been on the frontlines defending trans rights and tells us what is happening in our nation’s courtrooms. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. // References and Resources: Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0016885 // The Trevor Project National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2020: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2020/?section=Introduction // Legislative Tracker: Anti-Transgender Legislation: https://freedomforallamericans.org/legislative-tracker/anti-transgender-legislation/ // Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board (Update): https://www.aclu.org/cases/grimm-v-gloucester-county-school-board // Contrapoints video titled "Pronouns" published Nov. 2, 2018 on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bbINLWtMKI Audio Clips: Clip 1 Bill Maher August 6, 2021, HBO, speaks to Donna de Varona; Maher misstates that 2021 was the first year trans folks have been able to compete in the Olympics. We have been eligible since 2004. // Clip 2 The Ben Shapiro Show, July 18, 2021 via YouTube; Shapiro and Neil deGrasse Tyson discuss how the use of "science" can impede freedoms and liberty for some, (7:44-8:04) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w89etN8QqNQ // Clip 3 Bill Maher August 6, 2021 HBO; Maher conflates sex assigned at birth with gender identity. // Clip 4 Blaire White's YouTube channel January 10, 2018 titled: "Debate: Ben Shapiro and Blair White.” (10:56-11:06), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbTwoLah2VY // Clip 5 Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro; Joe Rogan Experience August 2, 2017 via YouTube; Taken from The Joe Rogan Experience 993; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdjdNgvF42o // Clip 6 Tucker Carlson, Fox News via YouTube, May 25, 2021; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YbRNgBg9Og Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Dr. Joe Dispenza shares with us techniques to heal the body through meditation. When Joe was a young man he had his spine crushed in a biking accident. Doctors told him that without invasive surgery he may never walk again. Defying the odds, he was able to rebuild his spine in just a few short months using nothing but his thoughts. Since then, he’s devoted his life to the healing potential of the mind-body connection. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. // References: Dr. Joe Dispenza website: drjoedispenza.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is changing the way governments think about and treat mental health. As the founder of the Center for Youth Wellness, she pioneered a system for evaluating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in order to treat the physical symptoms of childhood trauma. Now, in her role as California’s first Surgeon General, she’s bringing that system to doctor’s offices across the state. Her goal is to integrate mental health evaluations into your regular physicals and check-ups— especially for kids. In this episode, her and Laverne discuss the effects of toxic stress and the challenges involved in addressing mental health on a systemic level. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. // References: Take the ACE test and learn more: https://numberstory.org/ Nadine Burke Harris TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?language=en Center for Youth Wellness: https://centerforyouthwellness.org/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We get way more from our ancestors than our height, nose or personality. We absorb life lessons that have been passed down from generation to generation. But what if those life lessons were first learned while trying to survive slavery? What if those skills are now more harmful than helpful and we don’t even know what we’re doing? Psychologist, social worker, researcher and teacher Dr. Joy DeGruy explains how descendants of slaves are more connected to their ancestors than they realize. But simple awareness can heal. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. // References: Dr. Joy DeGruy 10-Week Course: (https://www.joydegruy.com/online-course) Georgia Daycare Accused of Racism After 'Making Black Kids Wait to Eat' (https://www.newsweek.com/georgia-daycare-accused-racism-after-making-black-kids-wait-eat-1583051) San Francisco Supervisor Trolls ‘Karens’ Who Call Cops on People of Color for No Reason With ‘CAREN Act’ (https://www.thedailybeast.com/san-francisco-supervisor-trolls-karens-who-call-police-on-people-of-color-for-no-reason-with-caren-act) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laverne, like many of us, struggles with self-criticism. She says it comes from a place of trying to protect herself, but in reality, it can be more debilitating than helpful. Dr. Kristin Neff is a professor and a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research. In this episode, she gives us tools to be more kind to ourselves—- which does not mean being easy on ourselves. Dr. Kristin Neff recently released a book entitled Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power and Thrive. Using concepts from Buddhism and informed by her research, she has a message for all of us about how being kind is not always about being nice. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. // References: Kristin Neff’s Website (https://self-compassion.org/) Kristin Neff's Books (https://www.amazon.com/Kristin-Neff/e/B004DM0CVS) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning: Please be aware this episode discusses targeted violence and may be triggering for some, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community. If you can understand the cause of something, you can fix it, right? Don’t treat the symptoms; treat the disease. Laverne talks with award-winning forensic psychologist Dr. Karen Franklin about why transgender people, especially women, are so often targeted in violent hate crimes; the role of religion; and if offender reform is possible. What is the psychology of the person who attacks, or even kills, someone just for being trans or gay or gender nonconforming? Fear is a powerful force and the sources of fear are far and wide. Fear is in our human nature as a survival tool and fear is nurtured by people in power. Now, how do we end the violence? // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. // Resources: Forensic Psychologist Dr. Karen Franklin: (https://www.karenfranklin.com/resources/violence-against-transgender-people/) // The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives: (https://www.amazon.com/57-Bus-Story-Teenagers-Changed/dp/0374303231) // Vawnet.org - an online resource library of gender-based violence: (https://vawnet.org/sc/serving-trans-and-non-binary-survivors-domestic-and-sexual-violence/violence-against-trans-and) // National Center for Transgender Equality: (https://transequality.org/issues/resources/responding-hate-crimes-community-resource-manual) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are your dating preferences? Do you prefer a certain ethnicity or race over another? What does it mean to have this sort of preference and where does it come from? Sociologist and social worker Sarah Adeyinka-Skold's latest research involved interviewing Black women about the unique difficulties they experience dating on and offline. In this episode, she and Laverne breakdown how the structures of white supremacy and patriarchy imprint themselves onto our dating habits. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Cornel West, renowned professor and philosopher, and one of the greatest American orators alive speaks with Laverne about what it means to be a love warrior. “Justice is what love looks like in public just like tenderness is what love feels like in private,” is a Cornel West quote that Laverne repeats so often people mistakenly attribute it to her. In this conversation they discuss the resiliency of the Black spirit, how to hold our institutions accountable, and how to be a wounded healer instead of a joy crusher. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. // Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laverne visits with one of her idols and sources of inspiration Tracey ‘Africa’ Norman to talk about her dramatic career in fashion in the 70s and 80s. Norman became a trailblazer when she was chosen as the first Black woman on a box of Clairol hair color in 1975. This was momentous for the entire Black community. It was also momentous for the transgender community, but nobody knew it then. Tracey had been assigned male at birth. She came up in the days of secrecy, but she’s open now and finally sharing her historic story. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. // As always, stay in the love. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Wendy Walsh, psychologist, author, radio and podcast host, explains just how important our first three years on earth are to the relationships we have over the rest of our lives. There’s this thing called Attachment Theory and it’s based on what happened to us as tiny little beings (thanks, Mom and Dad). As always, there’s hope. Regardless of your personal circumstances, there are definitely ways to rise above! // Dr. Wendy Walsh is the author of three books on love and is the writer and host of the podcast Mating Matters. She also hosts a live radio show in Los Angeles (KFIAM 640) all about relationships. // Please rate, review, subscribe and share The Laverne Cox Show with everyone you know. You can find Laverne on Instagram and Twitter @LaverneCox and on Facebook at @LaverneCoxForReal. As always, stay in the love. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dating as a trans woman can be complicated, frustrating and even dangerous. Longtime friend, actress and writer Jen Richards, joins Laverne for a very candid truth-only conversation. Together they dish on what they have learned over the years, like why some men are attracted to trans women and why so many men have a hard time being honest about their attraction. Of course they go deep, and Jen shares what she thinks is the biggest kept secret about trans women, opens up about why she thought she could never be loved, and then shares her amazing news. Get the tissues. // You might know Jen Richards from her Emmy nominated short series, Her Story. You can also see her in the HBO series, Mrs. Fletcher, and in the Netflix documentary Disclosure, which was executive produced by Laverne. Currently she can be seen on the CBS primetime thriller Clarice. // Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.