Laverne Cox to be Madame Tussauds' first transgender wax figure

Madame Tussauds San Francisco announced that it will debut a wax figure of Laverne Cox, star of Orange Is the New Black and a transgender rights activist. It is the first-ever transgender figure in the museum’s history. Cox’s figure will be unveiled on June 26 ahead of Pride Week, which begins the following day.

Madame Tussauds San Francisco announced on Monday that it will debut a wax figure of Laverne Cox, the star of

and a transgender rights activist. It will be the first-ever transgender figure in the museum’s history. Cox’s figure will be unveiled on June 26 ahead of the Pride Week, which begins the following day.

June 2015 is already shaping up to be a banner Pride Month for the transgender community since a Vanity Fair cover introduced

on June 1.

“I am so deeply honoured to have been asked to be part of the

legacy,” Cox said in a statement. “When I think about being who I am, a black trans-woman from a working class background raised in Mobile, Alabama, this honour feels even more improbable and extraordinary. I hope that this will be a source of inspiration for everyone who encounters it to believe that their dreams matter and are possible.”

The wax figure is just one more thing in Cox's long list of accomplishments in opening the minds of the public about transgender people. She was also the first openly transgender person to cover TIME Magazine and to be nominated for a Prime-time Emmy Award.