'13 Reasons Why' Star Tommy Dorfman Comes Out As A Transgender Woman, Reveals She's Medically Transitioned
Sharing her truth! Tommy Dorfman is reintroducing themselves to the world as a transgender woman.
“For a year now, I have been privately identifying and living as a woman — a trans woman,” the 29-year-old bravely declared to Time. “It’s funny to think about coming out, because I haven’t gone anywhere. I view today as a reintroduction to me as a woman, having made a transition medically.”
“Coming out is always viewed as this grand reveal, but I was never not out. Today is about clarity: I am a trans woman. My pronouns are she/her,” she said, before reiterating that she still goes by the name “Tommy.”
“I’ve been living in this other version of coming out where I don’t feel safe enough to talk about it, so I just do it. But I recognize that transitioning is beautiful. Why not let the world see what that looks like?” the TV star — most known as Ryan Silver on the Netflix soap 13 Reasons Why — stated.
“So I kept, on Instagram, a diaristic time capsule instead — one that shows a body living in a more fluid space," she continued. "However, I’ve learned as a public-facing person that my refusal to clarify can strip me of the freedom to control my own narrative. With this medical transition, there has been discourse about my body, and it began to feel overwhelming.”
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Dorfman revealed that she began to look for others in Hollywood who have had similar journeys to mirror their coming out process. “There’s the version I couldn’t really afford to do, which is to disappear for two years and come back with a new name, new face and new body,” she said. “But that’s not what I wanted.”
The brunette beauty also posted her triumphant coming out story via Instagram, thanking the iconic trans individuals who came before her for lighting the way. “I'm especially grateful to every single trans person who walked this path, broke down barriers, and risked their lives to live authentically and radically as themselves before me,” she wrote on July 22. “Thank you to all the trans women that showed me who I am, how to live, celebrate myself, and take up space in this world.”
GLAAD — the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization — has since responded to Dorfman reintroducing herself to the world, with Anthony Allen Ramos, the organization's head of talent, praising the actress for speaking her truth.
"Tommy Dorfman sharing that she's a transgender woman will inspire so many trans young people and also reminds us that when it comes to queer identity there is not a specific timeline or roadmap to follow," Ramos insisted.
While noting that "Tommy received GLAAD's Rising Star Award in 2017 for using her platform to draw attention to important issues affecting LGBTQ people," Ramos emphasized how "she continues that work at a time when the trans community is facing attacks in states all over the country. Tommy is a talented artist, and we look forward to the stories that she will tell about the trans community.”
