Los Angeles, April 17 (IANS): Actress Laverne Cox, who advocates the cause of the LGBTs, has posed bare for a photoshoot to encourage fellow transgender folks to celebrate their bodies.

The 30-year-old revealed she was initially reluctant about shedding her clothes, but the strong message of empowerment encouraged her, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"I said no initially, thought about it and said no again. But I'm a black transgender woman. I felt this could be really powerful for the communities that I represent. Seeing a black transgender woman embracing and loving everything about her body might be inspiring for some folks," Cox told Allure Magazine.

The “Orange Is the New Black“ star added: "Black women are not often told that we're beautiful unless we align with certain standards. Trans women certainly are not told we're beautiful."

The actress was seen posing naked, lowering one leg to show off the feminine curves of her hourglass frame. With her cleavage peeping out from beneath her strategically placed arm, she is seen with her eyes closed, masking half of her face with one hand.

Sharing the photograph on image-sharing website Instagram, she wrote: "Thanks to everyone at @allure magazine for making me feel so comfortable taking off my clothes for the camera."

The 30-year-old star also added inspiring hashtags: "#CelebrateYourBody #TransIsBeautiful."