From television shows to state capitols, transgenderism is a hot topic across the country.  With an estimated 2 to 5 percent of the population transgender, there are thousands upon thousands of transgender individuals in America. For some transgender individuals, finding acceptance can be difficult. However, that was far from the case Tuesday night at the Super Pit Coliseum at University of North Texas in Denton as transgender actress, double Emmy nominee and star of hit Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, Laverne Cox delivered her speech “Ain’t I Woman?”

Groups of anxious young students flocked to the doors, some waiting nearly three hours for front row tickets, in order to listen to the influential actress and activist discuss her life, her career and her experiences in the transgender community.

Focused, inspirational and eloquent, Cox supported her talk with quotes and stories from multiple different historical figures and activists, formatted much like a lecture for the first 20 minutes. Cox spoke to students about her childhood and upbringing which gave way to her discussion about the shame she felt as a child, being picked on in school and feeling like she wasn’t good enough for her grandmother or her family.

“Guilt is the feeling that I did something wrong,” Cox said. “Shame is the feeling that I am wrong.”

After discussing her upbringing, early schooling at the Alabama School of the Arts, and even her attempted suicide, she transitioned into the topic of her physical change, her surgery and her experiences with other transgender women. She discussed being pointed out on subways or city streets, her views of the transitioning of other transgender women and the public’s reactions to her.

“Calling a transgender woman a man is an act of violence,” Cox said. “It’s become a threat.”

Cox’s acting has become a platform for her anti-violence, and anti-shame activism. She encourages students to create safe places of acceptance throughout their community and help begin a “trans is beautiful” movement.

“It’s a state of emergency for far too many transgender non conforming people of the community,” Cox said. “How do we begin to create spaces of healing so we can heal and help each other?”

Cox is the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of Time magazine as well as the first transgender woman to be nominated for an Emmy. Cox was also named one of Glamour Magazine’s 2014 Woman of the Year.

“It’s awesome and amazing! Being transgender is beautiful,” Cox said. “What would a trans is beautiful movement look like?”