Laverne Cox

I was an actress long before I was a reality TV person.

My mother was a teacher. She was grooming my brother and me to be successful, accomplished people.

I never knew my father. He was never married to my mother; he was never a part of my life. It was just my mom, my brother and me.

I just have to be myself. I'm not perfect, and I'm going to make mistakes; I might say the wrong thing. I have to be responsible to my community, and I feel like I am, but then I have to not be so hard on myself.

I don't have children, and I don't want children.

What took time for my mom was getting the pronouns right and calling me by a different name. Laverne was my middle name before I transitioned.

I was really creative. I started to dance very young. I loved to dance. I begged my mother to put me into dance classes, and finally, in third grade, she did. Tap and jazz, but not ballet.