Laverne Cox Tells Ellen She's 'In Love Again'

Laverne Cox is "in love again," People reports.

The "Orange is the New Black" star appeared virtually on Thursday's episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and talked about the natural way her new relationship evolved over the last year.

"Laverne is in love again. It feels amazing. Love is an incredible thing. It's literally this chemical thing that's awesome," Cox said. "He's a really great guy. I didn't expect it. I thought he was just going to be this hot dude I was going to be hanging out with, and then it just kind of happened.

"We've been hanging out for six months. It went really slowly. The word love just sort of happened around November, December."

Cox didn't reveal the name of her boyfriends, but did say that – like her previous boyfriends – he "has never dated a trans woman before." She disclosed that while it's normally her partners that want discretion, as a public figure Cox is the one who seeks privacy these days.

The issue over the years for me as a trans woman and other trans women is that the womanhood of trans women is often disavowed," the actress said. "A lot of people don't see trans women as women. So, the men that are attracted to women, people think they are gay. And if you are a straight man, you don't want people to think you're gay. So a lot of the times they don't want to disclose or want to let anyone know."

Cox and Kyle Draper, her boyfriend of two years, split in June 2019. At the time, she posted to Instagram:

"@thekyledraper and I have broken up. After much soul searching and tears from both of us, we have decided it's time for us to go our separate ways. We decided we should make a public statement since our relationship was public in ways neither of us anticipated. This is that public statement. We know our relationship meant so much to so many people, especially trans folks, giving them hope that this kind of love is possible for them as well. That hope, the hope for love has not waned for me in the face of this breakup but rather is fortified. Knowing that we are both capable of giving and receiving love with this level of kindness, respect, trust, affection, depth, and intensity has been so healing and life affirming for us both. I am so grateful we were open to love and for every moment we had together. We have both grown in innumerable ways as a result. Now its just time to move on separately. We both want a breakup that honors and respects the quality of our relationship and the love we shared. Its possible."

A few months later, Cox posted to Instagram "Single lady here. It's ok to slide into my DM's gentlemen. Don't be scared. Just be respectful. Los Angeles area preferred. Talk soon. #TransIsBeautiful"