Barbie is celebrating Laverne Cox with a doll to honor her impact as an advocate for LGBTQ rights.
The doll’s release comes just days before Cox’s 50th birthday on Sunday. The actress, producer, writer, and activist tells PEOPLE that inspiring a doll in the legendary lineup feels “surreal.”
“I can’t believe it. I love her outfit,” Cox says. “What excites me most about her being out in the world is that trans young people can see her and maybe get to purchase her and play with her, and know that there’s a Barbie made by Mattel, for the first time, in the likeness of a trans person.”
The doll is being debuted during a tense political climate for transgender rights. However, Cox says her self-inspired doll is so much more than a toy.
“I think in an environment where trans children have been used as a political football. When over 250 pieces of anti-trans legislation have been introduced in state legislatures all over the country in 2022 alone. And access to gender-affirming healthcare has been denied by policies signed into law in my home state of Alabama, Arkansas, and other states… That in this environment where trans kids are being attacked, that this can also be a celebration of transness, and also a space for them to dream, understand and be reminded that trans is beautiful,” she says. “That there’s hope and possibility for them to be themselves.”
The Laverne Cox Barbie is currently available for $39.99 at major retailers and mattelcreations.com.
