Transgender activist Laverne Cox to be at ASU for Pride

Laverne Cox is an outspoken LGBT- and transgender-rights advocate, star of Netflix's "Orange Is The New Black," transgender woman, Time magazine cover star, Emmy nominee and recent recipient of a Christmas card from Beyonce, so this is important.

She will be speaking at Arizona State University's Tempe campus on Wednesday, April 8 as part of Pride Week at ASU and Phoenix Pride.

This event is free for ASU students, faculty, and staff, who can arrive with an ASU ID, no reservations or tickets required. Everyone else can purchase general-admission tickets for $10 at 10daysofpride.org. All proceeds will go to the Phoenix Pride LGBT Center.

Anyone can ask her a question prior to the event by using the hash tag #ASUasksLaverne on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Cox has been involved in Phoenix issues before. Last year, she spoke out in support of Monica Jones, a transgender Phoenix woman who garnered national attention after being charged under a controversial anti-prostitution ordinance.

Jones is an LGBT activist and full-time ASU student. She was arrested in 2013 during a prostitution sting operation in Phoenix after she got into the car of an undercover officer.

Cox spoke about Jones at the GLAAD awards in Los Angeles last April and later joined Jones' legal team in support of her appeal of the ordinance. A judge vacated Jones' conviction in January.

"All over the country, trans women are targeted simply for being who they are," Cox said during a Phoenix visit in August.

Cox plays transgender inmate Sophia Burset on "Orange Is The New Black," for which she became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the acting category.

She also has spoken across the country about gender expectations and is currently on tour speaking at universities.

The ASU event is presented by ASU's Undergraduate Student Government in partnership with the Council of Coalitions. It is one of many events during Pride Week, including the Phoenix Pride Festival April 11 and 12, and the Phoenix Pride Parade April 12.

Details: 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 8. Wells Fargo Arena, 600 E. Veterans Way, Tempe. Free for ASU students, faculty and staff; $10 for everyone else. 10daysofpride.org, facebook.com/events/1555584068044944/.