This morning’s Emmy nominations were full of surprises, but one non-shocker was the success of “Orange is the New Black,” which blew the doors open for Netflix after being submitted as a comedy.
As Indiewire’s Peter Knegt pointed out, 13 nominations were given to actors playing LGBT characters, but for the first time the T in that acronym might be legitimately involved: Laverne Cox, a trans actress who stars on “Orange” as the incarcerated Sophia, has been nominated for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy.
READ MORE: What It’s Like to Spend an Entire Saturday with the Cast of ‘Orange is the New Black’
This has Twitter wondering if this is the first time the Emmys have ever nodded to the work of a trans person — it’s possible it’s happened in a less-scrutinized category. But it’s certainly the most high-profile nomination in recent memory, and no matter what happens in September, a win for the trans community.
UPDATE: According to Buzzfeed, Cox is the first trans performer to lock down a nomination. Congrats to her!
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