Tommy Dorfman Proudly Shares Her Transgender Story With The World
Best known for her roles as Ryan Shaver in the phenomenally popular series 13 Reasons Why and Oscar in Love In The Time Of Corona, Tommy Dorfman has just proudly shared with the world that she is transgender.
Speaking to TIME magazine, Tommy said that she wasn't so much 'coming out' with her news, but rather clarifying something that she's never hidden away. 'It’s funny to think about coming out, because I haven’t gone anywhere,' she explained to friend and writer, Torrey Peters. '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. My name is Tommy.' She added that she would not be changing her name, partly due to its significant familial ties.
Tommy also discussed how she has been privately identifying and living as a woman for a year now and that she has been implicitly sharing so via her social media posts.
'I’ve been living in this other version of coming out where I don’t feel safe enough to talk about it... but I recognise that transitioning is beautiful. Why not let the world see what that looks like?' she explained, referring to her Instagram account as a 'diaristic time capsule.'
However, Tommy added, '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.
'So, recently I looked to examples of others who have come out as trans. 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. But that’s not what I wanted.'
Tommy also posted about the news on her Instagram account, saying that she was 'thrilled to reintroduce' herself to the world. 'Thrilled to reintroduce myself as the woman I am today. My pronouns are she/her,' she wrote. 'Thank you, @time, for this space, @torreyadora for writing this story, and @gizellehernandez for these images.'
Continuing on, Tommy thanked and praised all the transgender folk who have bravely spoken out in the past, including fellow public names like as Juno and Umbrella Academy actor, Elliot Page (who also shared his story with TIME).
'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,' Tommy said. 'Thank you to all the trans woman that showed me who I am, how to live, celebrate myself, and take up space in this world.'
For anyone looking for support or advice relating to their gender identity, or for more information on trans identities, visit Stonewall, akt, Mermaids and All About Trans.
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