United Kingdom, June 11 -- Laverne Cox feels "empowered" when she "speaks the truth".

The Orange Is the New Black star admitted that she previously found it daunting speaking so openly about being transgender due to the political climate in the world, and particularly in her native America.

However, she told Attitude Uncut digital magazine that once she realised how much it benefitted her to be honest, she did it more often.

She said: "I've been scared. The past three years, I've been terrified. And as I lost opportunities, I felt like I should say less because I didn't want to lose more. And I didn't want to damage the community either.

"Even leading up to the 2024 election, I was like, 'Should I not be so vocal?' But what I've come ...