Laverne Cox and DeRay Mckesson to Share Life Lessons at Commencement (Video)

@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All rights reserved

 Laverne Cox and DeRay Mckesson to Share Life Lessons at Commencement
  The actress and activist are among six commencement honorees named by New York City's The New School.
 
 Dawn Ennis 
          
          Mar 29, 2016
          
Dawn Ennis
The Advocate's news editor Dawn Ennis successfully transitioned from broadcast journalism to online media following another transition that made headlines; in 2013, she became the first trans staffer in any major TV network newsroom. As the first out transgender editor at The Advocate, the native New Yorker continues her 30-year media career, in which she has earned more than a dozen awards, including two Emmys. With the blessing of her three children, Dawn retains the most important job title she's ever held: Dad.
 See Full Bio   
                  Follow:
                   
        FROM OUR SPONSORS
        
        The Latest
        
Crime 
        A gunman targeted Tucson’s LGBTQ+ community. A thousand Arizonans answered with love
      Mourners gathered at Catalina Park to honor Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara, two gay men killed outside Venture-N in a hate crime.
 
Jacob Ogles
 
Crime 
        Utah detectives say accused stalker told victim he ‘couldn’t wait to kill a gay person’
      Salt Lake City authorities say Damyen Vainuku repeatedly sent a former high school classmate threatening messages accompanied by photos of firearms.
 
Jacob Ogles
 
National 
        21 states sue over Trump’s attacks on gender-affirming care insurance coverage
      The states argue that the administration cannot override their decisions about medically necessary care for transgender people.
 
Jacob Ogles
 
News 
        WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announces retirement amid trans athlete debate
      “I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” Engelbert said in a statement.
 
Samantha Allen

 
        More For You
        
        Vivian Wilson encourages queer people to 'disobey' as midterms approach
     
Ricky Cornish
 Sep 03, 2026 
Vivian Jenna Wilson for Desigual.

        Desigual
    
        This story originally appeared on Out. Keep Reading → 
 
        Melissa Etheridge & Wynonna Judd clap back at bigots: 'Get some therapy man'
     
Ricky Cornish
 Sep 02, 2026 
Melissa Etheridge & Wynonna Judd

        Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy / Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach
    
        This story originally appeared on Out.Melissa Etheridge and Wynonna Judd don't have time for any prejudice. Keep Reading → 
 
        11 times J.K. Rowling did something wildly transphobic, ranked
     
Ariel Messman-Rucker
 Sep 01, 2026 
J.K. Rowling attends day four of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 20, 2025 in Ascot, England.

        Karwai Tang/WireImage
    
        This story originally appeared on Out.For almost a decade now, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been spreading transphobia and has become the poster child for the UK’s troubling movement of TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists). She has gone on transphobic tirades on social media, written a nearly 4,000-word anti-trans manifesto, donated some of her fortune to anti-trans causes, regularly misgenders trans women, and gleefully celebrates every time the transgender community has their rights stripped away. Keep Reading → 
 
        MAGA eats one of its own as ICE detains right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos
     
Christopher Wiggins
 Aug 28, 2026 
British far-right political pundit Milo Yiannopoulos hosts the ‘Bishops Enough Is Enough’ rally at the MECU Pavilion on November 16, 2021, in Baltimore, Maryland. 

         Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
    
        The Trump administration’s immigration dragnet has caught one of MAGA’s provocateurs, who last year asked, “What are they waiting for?" regarding the president’s mass deportation program’s start. Keep Reading → 
 
        Actor Ricky Schroder dragged for anti-trans tribute to Dolly Parton
     
Dawn Ennis
 Aug 27, 2026 
Dolly Parton, left, posed with the actor who played her father in two TV movies, Ricky Schroder. He shared this undated picture in a now controversial post on Instagram following her death.

        Instagram @rickyschroder 

        This story originally appeared on Out. Keep Reading → 
 
        Most Popular
        
Education 
        The 15 worst universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students
      These are the worst places to go to college if you're looking for a queer-friendly and affirming environment.
 
Ariel Messman-Rucker
 
Education 
        The 15 best universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students
      These are the top places to get a great education in a queer-friendly and affirming environment.
 
Ariel Messman-Rucker
 
Opinion 
        When a pastor preaches cruelty, why does the congregation listen?
      The most disturbing part of Netflix’s Death of a Pastor’s Wife is not only what JP Miller preached, but how few people appeared willing to question him, writes John Casey.
 
John Casey
 
States 
        Alabama’s new library rules target every book about transgender people
      Libraries have until October 1 to restrict young people’s access to transgender-related books or face a state funding freeze.
 
Desiree Guerrero
 
Opinion 
        Ed Markey showed Democrats how to defend trans people and win elections
      Opinion: The Massachusetts senator’s primary win shows that voters may be over politicians willing to sacrifice minority groups in pursuit of an imaginary middle ground, writes Josh Ackley.
 
Josh Ackley
 
Politics 
        Is Fox News now mentioning Hasan Piker more than trans people? We investigate
      A recent claim on X drew attention to the cable news network’s growing fixation on the left-wing streamer.
 
Samantha Allen

Site Navigation

Laverne Cox and DeRay Mckesson to Share Life Lessons at Commencement

The actress and activist are among six commencement honorees named by New York City's The New School.

The Latest

A gunman targeted Tucson’s LGBTQ+ community. A thousand Arizonans answered with love

Mourners gathered at Catalina Park to honor Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara, two gay men killed outside Venture-N in a hate crime.

21 states sue over Trump’s attacks on gender-affirming care insurance coverage

The states argue that the administration cannot override their decisions about medically necessary care for transgender people.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announces retirement amid trans athlete debate

“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” Engelbert said in a statement.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to be told.

Freshly deported ‘ex-gay’ hypocrite Milo Yiannopoulos regrets Trump. Admits he’s gay & still married to a man

The 50 Biggest Homophobes of the Last 50 Years

8 Times Dolly Parton Cemented Her Status as an LGBTQ+ Icon

Jason Collins, gay NBA trailblazer, dies at 47

This heartwarming Mother’s Day ad featuring a trans teen and his mom might make you cry

More For You

Vivian Wilson encourages queer people to 'disobey' as midterms approach

Melissa Etheridge & Wynonna Judd clap back at bigots: 'Get some therapy man'

11 times J.K. Rowling did something wildly transphobic, ranked

MAGA eats one of its own as ICE detains right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos

Actor Ricky Schroder dragged for anti-trans tribute to Dolly Parton

Most Popular

The 15 worst universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students

These are the worst places to go to college if you're looking for a queer-friendly and affirming environment.

The 15 best universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students

These are the top places to get a great education in a queer-friendly and affirming environment.

When a pastor preaches cruelty, why does the congregation listen?

The most disturbing part of Netflix’s Death of a Pastor’s Wife is not only what JP Miller preached, but how few people appeared willing to question him, writes John Casey.

Alabama’s new library rules target every book about transgender people

Libraries have until October 1 to restrict young people’s access to transgender-related books or face a state funding freeze.

Ed Markey showed Democrats how to defend trans people and win elections

Opinion: The Massachusetts senator’s primary win shows that voters may be over politicians willing to sacrifice minority groups in pursuit of an imaginary middle ground, writes Josh Ackley.

Is Fox News now mentioning Hasan Piker more than trans people? We investigate

A recent claim on X drew attention to the cable news network’s growing fixation on the left-wing streamer.

Latest Stories

Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week.

Laverne Cox and DeRay Mckesson to Share Life Lessons at Commencement

The actress and activist are among six commencement honorees named by New York City's The New School.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

Mourners gathered at Catalina Park to honor Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara, two gay men killed outside Venture-N in a hate crime.

Salt Lake City authorities say Damyen Vainuku repeatedly sent a former high school classmate threatening messages accompanied by photos of firearms.

The states argue that the administration cannot override their decisions about medically necessary care for transgender people.

“I retire knowing we have built something bigger, stronger and more enduring than we could have imagined,” Engelbert said in a statement.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to be told.

More For You

Most Popular

These are the worst places to go to college if you're looking for a queer-friendly and affirming environment.

These are the top places to get a great education in a queer-friendly and affirming environment.

The most disturbing part of Netflix’s Death of a Pastor’s Wife is not only what JP Miller preached, but how few people appeared willing to question him, writes John Casey.

Libraries have until October 1 to restrict young people’s access to transgender-related books or face a state funding freeze.

Opinion: The Massachusetts senator’s primary win shows that voters may be over politicians willing to sacrifice minority groups in pursuit of an imaginary middle ground, writes Josh Ackley.

A recent claim on X drew attention to the cable news network’s growing fixation on the left-wing streamer.