Further revealing her progressive street cred, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle selected transgender actor Laverne Cox — a man presenting himself as a woman — as a “woman of impact” in the upcoming September British Vogue magazine, which she contributed to as an editor
LifeSiteNews reports that Markle’s official Instagram account featured a sample cover for the September issue, titled “Forces for Change,” while announcing that the duchess chose a “diverse selection of women from all walks of life” to raise awareness for “equality, kindness, justice and open-mindedness.” From the announcement:
We are proud to announce that Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Sussex is the Guest Editor for the September issue of @BritishVogue. For the past seven months, The Duchess has curated the content with British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful to create an issue that highlights the power of the collective. They have named the issue: ‘Forces for Change.’
For the cover, The Duchess chose a diverse selection of women from all walks of life, each driving impact and raising the bar for equality, kindness, justice and open-mindedness. The sixteenth space on the cover, a mirror, was included so that when you hold the issue in your hands, you see yourself as part of this collective.
We are excited to announce that within the issue you’ll find: an exclusive interview between The Duchess and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, a candid conversation between The Duke of Sussex and Dr Jane Goodall, inspirational articles written by Brené Brown, Jameela Jamil and many others. Equally, you’ll find grassroots organisations and incredible trailblazers working tirelessly behind the scenes to change the world for the better.
Among this list of impactful women that Meghan Markle selected to profile is actor Laverne Cox, who is also featured on the cover. So basically, one fully-qualified woman was not profiled in the September issue of Vogue magazine in order to make way for Laverne Cox. Take a look:
In the same announcement, Meghan Markle said that her work on the British Vogue September issue has been deeply rewarding — a task she has allegedly been involved in for many months.
“Guest Editing the September issue of British Vogue has been rewarding, educational and inspiring,” she said. “To deep dive into this process, working quietly behind the scenes for so many months, I am happy to now be able to share what we have created. A huge thanks to all of the friends who supported me in this endeavour, lending their time and energy to help within these pages and on the cover.”
Aside from being a prominent promoter of transgender representation in Hollywood, Laverne Cox recently said at a college commencement speech that the abortion rights argument should be inclusive of transgender men.
“As I continued to process, I thought, for the first time, ‘What if I were a transgender man?’ What if I were a transgender man … and for whatever reason I became pregnant unintentionally? If I were that trans man, I would really want to have language that incorporated and included my experience,” Cox said. “When we use language that excludes groups of people on pertinent issues, it can jeopardize their health and well-being. Language that is appropriate and fully inclusive is a matter of life and death for so many people out there.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have gone to great lengths to strategically characterize themselves as the progressive wing of the royal family, either by way of subtle rumors about raising baby Archie as gender fluid or downright supporting a political cause like LGBT Pride Month from their official Instagram account.
“Continuing with our tradition to rotate the accounts we follow based on causes and social issues that matter to us: For the month of June we ‘proudly’ shine a light on PRIDE,” the couple said back in June. “This month we pay tribute to the accounts supporting the LGBTQ+ community — those young and old, their families and friends, accounts that reflect on the past and are hopeful for a deservedly more inclusive future. We stand with you and support you Because it’s very simple: love is love.”
Following Ireland’s vote to legalize abortion, rumors quickly spread that the former American actress expressed delight upon the result. Then, earlier this year, reports surfaced that both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry planned to raise their baby “gender fluid” by avoiding common gender stereotypes only to have Kensington Palace later denounce the story as false.