Madame Tussauds San Francisco unveils a wax figure of Laverne Cox, a first for an openly transgender person.
On June 26, 2015, Madame Tussauds San Francisco unveiled a wax figure of Laverne Cox, making her the first openly transgender person to be immortalized in wax by the famed institution. The unveiling was timed to coincide with LGBT Pride celebrations, underscoring the cultural significance of the honor.
Madame Tussauds wax figures have historically been reserved for the most iconic and influential public figures across entertainment, politics, and history. By including Cox, the museum acknowledged her unprecedented impact on transgender visibility and representation in mainstream culture. The figure depicted Cox in a glamorous pose, celebrating her identity as both an artist and an advocate.
This milestone added to Cox's remarkable string of firsts within a roughly twelve-month period, following her TIME magazine cover, Emmy nomination, and Daytime Emmy win. Together, these achievements reflected the rapid mainstreaming of transgender visibility during the mid-2010s, a period often referred to as the "transgender tipping point." The wax figure served as a lasting physical symbol of Cox's cultural significance, viewed by countless museum visitors and reinforcing her status as a historic figure in LGBTQ and entertainment history.