Laverne Cox is opening up about her deep connection and meaningful relationship with a man who held opposing political views.
“I was in sheer bliss with this man and you know, things would come up and we would agree to disagree about some political things,” Cox, 54, said while appearing on Wednesday, June 10, episode of The New York Times’ “Modern Love” podcast. “Problematic but not, like, offensive. He had been, the way he grew up and algorithms he was given, information he was consuming that he had been propagandized to. So I tried to give him grace there.”
The Orange is the New Black star continued, “I would understand that his facts were not facts — that they were wrong — and I would express that. I would, you know, offer to look things up and cross reference sources.”
Cox was in a three-and-a-half year relationship with a member of the New York City Police Department who voted for President Donald Trump in all three presidential elections. While appearing on The View on Monday, June 8, Cox said she initially had a “no dating cops” policy, further claiming that her ex initially told her he worked in real estate.
It wasn’t until the two were already deep in love that she realized he was a MAGA supporter and a police officer.
“When it started out, there was a beautiful, amazing guy who treated me better than anyone I’d ever met,” Cox told The View cohosts at the time. “The political affiliation became obvious, but I’d already had feelings for him, and I wanted to see him as a human being beyond that. His politics and his unexamined life became clear after the three-and-a-half-years. I was like, ‘I love him, but I love myself more.’ And staying in this relationship betrayed myself.”
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly to promote her new memoir, Transcendent, Cox explained that she believes in a spiritual realm that transcends political differences, but that a person’s politics matter particularly when they cause harm to marginalized communities.
“I do believe that there is, like, a spiritual realm connection that we have that’s beyond politics and in history, but those things are material reality, right?” she told Us. “Like, they inform who we are. I wasn’t able to build in a relationship and build a life with him because of his politics, but that doesn’t negate the soul connection, right?”
She continued, “Those two things are different — things that are social constructs, like me being a Black trans woman is only really relevant because of discrimination that Black trans people experience. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could live in a colorblind, genderless world? But we can’t because of oppression.”
While speaking on the “Modern Love” podcast, Cox acknowledged the backlash she received from the LGBTQ+ community as a result of her relationship with a staunch conservative, saying that for years their “connection was bigger than his ignorance, I would say, around politics.”
“I just refuse to betray myself again — as much as that breakup was traumatizing and talking about it publicly. Like, so many people turned on me because I dated a man who was a cop and voted for Trump three times,” she said. “And I get that. I get why people were upset with me about that. I have to say this every time I mention this, is that I never adapted or promoted any Trump policies or any Republican policies. I remain committed to fighting for trans liberation and Black liberation and reproductive rights and a living wage.”
She concluded, “So, I fell in love with someone who as opposing political beliefs, but I think sometimes people think just because you’re in a relationship with someone you cosign their politics. And maybe some people do, I don’t know. But people don’t know me.”
