"Thrilled to reintroduce myself as the woman I am today," said Tommy Dorfman, from the popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, in a coming out post on her Instagram.
Dorfman officially came out as a trans woman in the post, featuring a number of photos of her in various dresses, looking absolutely fabulous.
"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.
"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."
Dorfman, in an interview with Time, said that she'd been living and identifying as a woman "for a year now."
"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. My name is Tommy."
Dorfman also talked about her transition over the past year:
"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?"
"So I kept, on Instagram, a diaristic time capsule instead—one that shows a body living in a more fluid space. 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."
And after a medical transition, found herself at a crossroads:
"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."
And on the subject of the incredible amount of anti-trans legislation happening in the USA, Dorfman's advice was to learn as much about it as possible:
"There have been dozens of bills in the last six months [introduced] directly to inhibit the success, safety and livelihoods of trans people, specifically trans youth."
"I always suggest engaging on a personal level: personalize your activism and advocacy, find the organization closest to you that you can assist."
"If you don't feel comfortable using your body to be of service but you have monetary capabilities, do that. Educate yourself as much as possible."
Welcome back, Mademoiselle Dorfman. We are all looking forward to getting to know the true you.
And thank you for sharing your truth with us.
