C'mon, Vogue!

Laverne Cox has become the first trans person to grace the cover of British Vogue. The trailblazing actress and activist is one of 15 women honored in the September 2019 "Forces for Change" issue.

These inspiring women were personally chosen by Meghan Markle, HRH The Duchess of Sussex, and British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. The Duchess is the first guest editor of the September issue in the magazine’s 103-year history.

"All 15 are barrier breakers who remain convinced that the world can be remade only if we harness our collective power," British Vogue notes. "Here’s to the changemakers who are set to re-shape society in myriad radical and positive ways." The honorees include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Jameela Jamil, and Yara Shahidi.

"I am completely overwhelmed and overjoyed to share this cover," Cox tweeted. "Being on the cover of Vogue magazine has been a dream of mine since I was a child. To get to share this cover with this group of women who inspire me, who are truly forces for change is deeply humbling."

"I feel I am here to change the ways in which people see and think about trans people," Cox says in a video from her shoot with photographer Peter Lindbergh. "Our visibility is more profound and heightened than it’s ever been, but the attacks against transgender people are also more profound and immense than they’ve ever been."

"We are at a crossroads in the world right now," she continues. "The decisions that we make, in every country around the world, about how we’re going to treat women, how we’re going to treat immigrants, how we’re going to treat trans people and people of color, how we treat our planet."

Cox may be the first trans person on the cover of British Vogue, but when it comes to firsts, she knows her facts. "I have had a lot of firsts in my career, but I am not the first trans person on the cover of Vogue—that honour goes to Valentina Sampaio on the cover of French Vogue [in March 2017], and Indya Moore on the cover of Teen Vogue [in March 2019]," she points out in the issue. "That’s absolutely beautiful—that I am not the first. I love that history. I love following in the footsteps of folks like that."

Cox tells People that Markle handpicked her for the cover and called her personally. “She was so lovely,” Cox recalls of the chat. “She just thanked me for being an inspiration and to keep it up.”

“I did tell her I had been a fan of Suits since the beginning—I had been a fan of hers since then. I just loved her on the show. She just said, ‘Awww.’ She seemed surprised.”

Cox, the first Emmy-nominated trans actor, plays a trans inmate on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, which is ending with its new seventh season. In May 2014 Cox became the first trans person to cover Time magazine, which was called a "transgender tipping point."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously committed to championing LGBTQ rights. It was reported earlier this year that they planned to raise their child with a "fluid" approach to gender.