At the GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday, actress Ellen Page said she's grateful that among the benefits of recently coming out is being able to introduce "one of my heroes, Laverne Cox."
Cox was honored with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award. And her mom surprised Cox and the audience by showing up on stage with a bouquet of flowers to add to the award.
"I'm so moved by the work that GLAAD has been doing, particularly over the past year, to make sure that the 'T' is not silent in the LGBT community," Cox said. GLAAD honored the trans actress for using her celebrity from Orange is the New Black to voice concerns of trans people to the media, including an awkward moment this year on Katie Couric's talk show that Cox brilliantly handled.
Honoring Cox was just one of a number of moments when trans people were highlighted during the awards, including a shout-out from stage by model Naomi Campbell to Carmen Carrera.
Watch Page's introduction of Cox in the video below: