[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
The 29 July 2014 edition of CBS This Morning broke out the kid gloves for Laverne Cox, and zeroed in on how the Orange is the New Black actor is "the first openly-transgendered woman ever nominated for an acting Emmy." Charlie Rose spotlighted how "there are people contacting you saying, my God – thank God for you being there, because they've been struggling with identity. And all of a sudden, you give them hope."
When Norah O'Donnell touted how her guest's Time magazine cover was "second to the Pope, in terms of interest online," Cox underlined the apparent divine plan behind this success, but asserted that his biological identity was foisted upon him:
NORAH O'DONNELL: Nancy Gibbs, of course, is the fabulous editor of Time magazine, and I was asking her which of her covers sells the best – and their subscription service. But she said online, your cover was the second to the Pope, in terms of interest online.
COX: That is insane!
KING: I'll bet you didn't have that dream.
COX: You know that – the cover of Time magazine – that surpassed. You know, the funny thing is – you know, God has a plan for you that you can't even imagine for yourself sometimes. So I just – a lot of my work is just to submit to that thing-
KING: But let's – let people know about you, Laverne, because you were born a boy, but-
COX: Well, I was assigned male at birth, is the way I like to put it, because I think....we're born who we are...and the gender thing is something that somebody imposes on you. And so, I was assigned male at birth, but I always feel like I was a girl.