Laverne Cox Praises Miley Cyrus

Everyone has a lot to say about Miley Cyrus following her turn as the MTV Video Music Awards host this year. And like with all things Miley, reception has been mixed on everything from her wacky, near-nude outfits to her escalating feud with Nicki Minaj. But one celebrity has a very positive outlook on at least one aspect of Cyrus' controversial hosting gig. Laverne Cox has praised Miley Cyrus for her "epic trans moment" at the VMAs.

As you might remember, Cyrus launched an organization called the Happy Hippie Foundation earlier this year to assist the LGBT community with problems that disproportionately affect that group of people, with a particular focus on the issue of homelessness. And at the VMAs, the 22-year-old tapped some of the transgender individuals she featured in the foundation's #InstaPride campaign to present her performance in honor of the foundation.

A couple days after the show, Cox took to Instagram to voice her approval of their presentation. The Orange Is The New Black star re-grammed a picture of Cyrus' trans buddies originally taken by foundation member Tyler Ford. Cox captioned the snap: "Love this epic trans moment onstage at this year's #VMAs" and added hashtags like #Intersectionality and #TransIsBeautiful.

Cox's praise shows the pertinence of increasing the diversity in award shows, especially when it comes to people who grapple with multiple forms of discrimination. It is likely that Cox and people with similar stories to hers did not have the privilege of growing up with seeing people with similar experiences on a public platform as big as the VMAs. It is undeniable that there has been change, and Cyrus' foundation is definitely helping. Cyrus' fame gave them a platform to share their voice, and now, young trans people watching the show have the chance to hear it.

Right now the big story about the VMAs is Nicki Minaj versus Cyrus, so it might be tough to get and secure people's attention on more harrowing topics. But regardless of if you're a Cyrus fan or not, it is still worth taking a moment of pause to consider what the trans moment at the VMAs means in the context of a larger cultural narrative.