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Laverne Cox praises Planned Parenthood for trans healthcare

Written by gaytourism

Laverne Cox speaks at the Planned Parenthood gala on 1 May

Laverne Cox is a proud supporter of Planned Parenthood.

At Planned Parenthood’s 1 May gala in New York City, Cox was honored alongside outgoing Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards.

In Cox’s acceptance speech, she drew attention to the lack of quality healthcare for transgender women. She praised Planned Parenthood for providing such services to trans people when they might not have anywhere else to turn.

‘The fight for healthcare is so intimately tied to the health of transgender people,’ Cox said in her speech.

‘I’m so excited to stand before you this evening because I wanted to shout out to the world that Planned Parenthood is a welcoming place for transgender people. I travel the country and meet transgender people all over who do not have access to life-saving healthcare.’

Planned Parenthood’s work

Along with providing primary healthcare, annual exams, and STI screenings/treatment, Planned Parenthood offers hormone therapy to transgender individuals in 20 states across the country. Their staff is trained in how to properly and respectfully treat trans and gender nonconforming patients.

According to NPR, 31% of transgender Americans lack regular access to healthcare. Additionally, many report discrimination at doctor’s offices. This is why Planned Parenthood is such an important resource for the trans and non-binary community.

The Trump administration and women’s healthcare

At the gala, Cox also spoke about the Trump administration’s plan to roll back Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, among other things.

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‘If that rollback happens, it’s going to affect women of all kinds,’ the Orange Is The New Black star said. ‘It’s going to affect transgender people, so we are in this fight together whether we want to be or not.’

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