So, remember how last week Laverne Cox was able to climb to the top of Time’s publicly voted 100 Most Influential People list? Something she had earned, presumably by being influential? About that . . .
According to New Now Next, Laverne Cox was left off the official list, despite earning the second highest number of votes and a 91.5-percent approval rating.
Twitter, smelling bullshit, responded to the snub by creating the hashtag #WhereIsLaverneCox. Cox herself has since responded to the whole thing on her own account, saying, “I am deeply moved by all the love and support from the #lavernehive on the net this week. #whereisLaverneCox? Sitting in much gratitude.”
The part that bothers me is that Laverne has demonstrated her ability to influence people. Hell, she was able to get to the top of Time’s voting list, she was able to land a gig on one of the most talked-about TV series of the past year, and she’s used her fame and influence in a way that actually benefits her community. If Time is going to leave her off the list, despite the overwhelming evidence in her favour, they’d better have a reeeeeeeeeal good reason.