Laverne Cox strips down in gorgeous new photoshoot

She might have been hesitant at first, but when Allure approached Laverne Cox to participate in the magazine's nude issue, she considered what was at stake and went for it, for a very important reason.

Elle reports what Cox said, in the new interview...

"I said no initially, thought about it, and said no again. But I'm a black transgender woman. I felt this could be really powerful for the communities that I represent. Black women are not often told that we're beautiful unless we align with certain standards. Trans women certainly are not told we're beautiful. Seeing a black transgender woman embracing and loving everything about herself might be inspiring to some other folks." Hear, hear—and seriously, how could we not be inspired by that gorgeous image?''