(CNN) – Tommy Dorfman introduced himself as a trans woman and announced on social media that he recognized her by conscience.
“I am especially grateful to all the trans people who have walked this path, breaking barriers and risking their lives to live as authentically and radically as they did before me. Thank you to all the trans women who have shown me who I am, how to live, celebrate and make a space in this world.”
Dorfman, who played Ryan Schaeffer on 13 Reasons Why, spoke to Time magazine and told the publication, “For a year now, I’ve been identifying and living privately as a woman, a transgender woman.”
Tommy Dorfman
“It’s funny to think of coming out of the closet, because I haven’t gone anywhere,” she continued. “Today I consider myself reintroducing myself as a woman, having undergone a medical transformation. Getting out of the closet always seems like a great revelation, but I’ve never come out. Today is about clarity: I’m a trans woman. My conscience is my name is Tommy.
Dorfman added that she wants the world to see what the transformation looks like and says that over the past few months she has documented her own photo on Instagram.
“I’ve been living in this other version of getting out where I don’t feel safe enough to talk about it, so I’m doing it. But I know the transition is beautiful. Why don’t you let the world see what it looks like,” he said. “So I saved, on Instagram, a time capsule from a diary, one showing a body that lives in a more fluid space. However, I’ve learned as someone watching the audience that my refusal to explain can strip me of the freedom to control my own narrative. With this medical shift, there has been talk off my body and I started to feel tired.”
Dorfman says he will keep his name, in honor of his mother’s brother who died shortly after her birth. “I feel a great connection to that name, with a man who hugged me while I was dying,” she said. “This is an evolution of Tommy. It has become more Tommy.”
“I love my name, and I want to keep my name and give my name a new life,” he continued. “I’m also very proud of who I was. I think it’s important to admit that. I’m proud of who I have been for the past few years.”
Tommy Dorfman spoke to Time magazine about her identity as a trans woman.
GLAAD responded to the news Thursday with a statement, saying Dorfman’s public announcement will inspire many young people.
“The fact that Tommy Dorfman shares that he is a transgender woman will inspire many young transgender people and also remind us that when it comes to gay identity, there is no set timeline or roadmap to follow,” said Anthony Allen Ramos, Director of GLAAD Talent. Tommy was awarded a GLAAD Rising Star in 2017 for using his platform to bring attention to important issues affecting LGBT people, and continues this work at a time when the transgender community faces attacks in states across the country. Tommy is a talented artist and we look forward to the stories that lead He will tell it about the transgender community.”