In an interview with Time magazine, the actor Tommy Dorfman, star of such hit shows as 13 Reasons Why and Love Victor, has, as she terms it, reintroduced herself as a woman, and shared her transition journey.

Speaking to Torrey Peters, author of the sensational Detransition Baby, Dorfman shared how this was not a ‘coming out’ story, explaining “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,” added Dorfman.

During the interview, Tommy explained her decision to share her transition on social media, saying, “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 recognise 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.”

Dorfman continued, “I’ve learned as a public-facing person that my refusal to clarify can strip me of the freedom to control my own narrative.”

The star highlighted how having a career very much in the public eye has a knock on effect in terms of a pressure to share personal stories. Dorfman elaborated, “It’s impossible for me to separate my personal and professional transition, because my body and face are linked to my career. I’m most recognised for playing a bitchy gay poet on a soap opera, and I feared that by actively transitioning in my personal life, I would lose whatever career I’ve been told I’m supposed to have.

“But I’m no longer interested in playing ‘male’ characters, except for maybe in a ‘Cate Blanchett playing Bob Dylan’ way. Sometimes you just have to say, ‘No, this is just who I fucking am.’”

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In a social media post, the star further shared, “Thrilled to reintroduce myself as the woman I am today. My pronouns are she/her… 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. Thank you to all the trans woman (sic) that showed me who I am, how to live, celebrate myself, and take up space in this world.”