Laverne Cox explained why she was considering leaving the United States following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election.

In a new interview with VarietyLaverne said she and several friends are considering a move: “We’re researching different cities in Europe and the Caribbean.”

The actor compared Trump’s continued rise to earlier moments in history, adding: “There was a thriving community of queer people in Berlin before the rise of Nazism. They attacked Jews. They attacked immigrants, they attacked queer and trans people.”

When asked how to “move forward” as a black trans woman, she responded, “I don’t want to be too scared, but I am scared. As a public figure, with all my privilege, I am afraid. , and I’m especially scared because I’m a public figure, I feel like I could be targeted.

On election night, the Orange is the new black one alum further said she texted a friend who voted for Trump, recalling, “He’s a cisgender, heterosexual, white male. It’s really interesting and really complicated because this friend of mine told me they were sad. As everyone at his work was celebrating Trump’s victory, he was sad for me. He cares about me and he loves me, and he was sad for me.

As for Laverne’s advice for other trans people, she recommends being prepared: “If you currently have the ability, trans people, to make sure that all of your identity documents, in terms of name and gender markers, match , do it immediately. Do it before January 20th Get expedited passports with hopefully the correct gender markers while you can Save as much money as possible. country, obviously, is something that privileged people can do.

Lest anyone think Laverne is overreacting, 41 anti-trans bills were passed. already passed in 2024 alone and the number considered is in the hundreds. The Trump campaign would have spent more a hundred dollars per trans person in the United States running anti-trans ads.

Trump’s website ” touts the anti-trans rallying cry: “Keep men out of women’s sports” and threatens to cut off federal funding to all schools “pushing…radical gender ideology.” He also expressed the desire to ban gender-affirming care for minors although it is rescue. Even outside of politics, violence against trans people has resurrected in recent years, with black trans women accounting for a disproportionate number of those murdered.

This is just an excerpt from the hour and more conversation with Laverne. You can read more of Laverne’s words here.