How Laverne Cox Has Always Had Her Family's Support

By Luchina Fisher October 30, 2014

(Photo Credit: John Lamparski/WireImage/Getty Images)

Before she became the first transgender person to receive an Emmy nomination and cover Time magazine, actress and advocate Laverne Cox had the support of her family.

In a new interview today on "Untold With Maria Menounos," the "Orange Is the New Black" star opens up about her sometimes challenging childhood in Mobile, Alabama, where she grew up with a single mother and an identical twin brother.

"I was bullied and chased home from school everyday by groups of kids," she shared with Menounos. "I saw the bullying as very shaming."

At the same time, Cox was trying to figure out her true identity.

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"I mean, I always liked boys," she said. "But me needing to express myself was so much about my gender."

After she decided to transition, Cox said the support from her family never wavered.

"OK, cool" was the reaction from his twin brother, M. Lamar, an operatic counter tenor, songwriter and multimedia performance artist. (He played Cox's character, Sophia, pre-transition in the back story episode from Season 1 of "OITNB.")

"It wasn't an issue," she said.

As for her mother, Cox said, "My mom has loved me unconditionally. I've never not had a relationship with mom."

She added, "Life has not been easy, but I feel very blessed."