Laverne Cox: “Respectability Politics Is Not It. Period.”

Laverne Cox joins HIGHKEY! to talk trans erasure, identity, and surviving Hollywood in 2025. She shares how the cancellation of Clean Slate affected her personally and financially, and explains why being palatable to white audiences didn’t protect her. Laverne breaks down her evolving stance on respectability politics and the growing divestment from trans stories. She also revisits a recent speech where she called out Gavin Newsom by name—and why she’s done playing nice. A raw and thoughtful conversation about power, creativity, and what it takes to keep going. If you’re HIGHKEY! vibing with us, come kick it on Patreon! We’re dropping bonus content, behind-the-scenes tea, exclusive group hangs — basically, the HighKiki. www.patreon.com/HIGHKEY   Watch HIGHKEY! on YouTube at youtube.com/@highkeyhere Follow along on socials @highkeyhere   HIGHKEY! is a production of iHeartPodcasts, as part of the Outspoken network. The show is created and executive produced by Ben O’Keefe, Ryan Mitchell, Yvie Oddly, and Spoke Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.