Caitlyn Jenner thanks Laverne Cox: 'Your support means all the world to me'

Caitlyn Jenner has publicly thanked Laverne Cox for her strong support in the weeks since she came out as transgender on the cover of Vanity Fair. Taking to her Twitter account, which recently broke records for being the fastest profile on the social media site to reach one million followers, Caitlyn praised the Orange is the New Black actress and expressed her gratitude to the star.

"@LaverneCox, you are fierce and fabulous!" she wrote. "Your support means the world. Thank you for all that you do for the community. #TransIsBeautiful."

Orange is the New Black star Laverne, pictured at this week's amfAR gala has supported Caitlyn during her transition

Laverne quickly responded to the heartfelt message, writing: "My pleasure. Sending you lots of love always. #TransIsBeautiful."

Emmy-nominated Laverne, who was the first transgender person to grace the cover of Time magazine and who is set to become the first to have a wax figure at Madame Tussauds on June 26, has supported Caitlyn since she revealed she was transgender in a televised interview with Diane Sawyer.

"Sending lots of love and support to #BruceJenner and their family tonight," she tweeted shortly after the interview aired. "It is always brave to stand in one's truth. Congrats darling."

And Laverne was on hand earlier this week at the amfAR Inspiration gala on Tuesday in New York as Caitlyn's Vanity Fair cover became a highly-sought after lot during the night's live auction. Pop star Miley Cyrus turned auctioneer, put three framed depictions of the now-iconic cover – each artistically embellished by Miley and also signed by Caitlyn herself – under the hammer. The trio of artworks went for $69,000, helping to raise more than $1.5 milion for the Foundation for AIDS Research.

Laverne was in the audience at the amfAR gala as Miley Cyrus auctioned off three of Caitlyn's Vanity Fair covers Photo: Getty Images

Earlier this month, when Caitlyn revealed her new identity on the cover, an accompanying video saw her pay tribute to "pioneer" Laverne for providing her with inspiration during her journey.

Miley herself had "artistically embellished" the framed portraits Photo: Kevin Tachman

"There's a lot of very intelligent women, you look at some of the people, the pioneers in trying to get the message out: Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Geena Rocero, people like that, Carmen Carrera," said Caitlyn. "Back in the Eighties I was alone. And I'm kind of following in their footsteps. They made it easier for me. I hope, with my honesty, I can make it easier for someone else down the line."

— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) June 1, 2015

Caitlyn has received an outpouring of support from celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Lena Dunham and Gigi Hadid. President Barack Obama also retweeted Caitlyn's first tweet, saying: "It takes courage to share your story."