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Barbie Releases Its First Transgender Doll In Honor Of Laverne Cox
In early 2018, a Change.org petition advocating for award-winning actress, producer and prominent LGBTQ+ activist Laverne Cox to become the first trans woman to have a Barbie doll created in her likeness began to make its rounds on the Internet.
The creator of the petition argued that Cox, who became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy Award for her groundbreaking performance as Sophia Burset on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, deserved to have a signature Barbie doll.
Cox responded to the creator—who garnered more than 1,600 signatures on the petition in just a few days—on Twitter, saying, “I would love to be a Barbie doll.”
Fast forward more than four years later, Cox has manifested that dream into a reality.
As part of Barbie’s Tribute Collection, which launched last year to highlight cultural trailblazers, the iconic brand created a signature Barbie doll for Cox to honor the impact she’s made not only in her pioneering career, but also for the continued work she’s done to champion LGBTQ+ rights. The Laverne Cox Barbie doll will be the first one made in the likeness of an openly transgender person.
Cox’s Barbie doll was released on May 25—just a few days before her 50th birthday and head of PRIDE month—for $39.99 via Amazon, Walmart, Target and Mattel Inc.’s website.