Tommy Dorfman, one of the stars of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, has reintroduced herself as a trans woman.
The actress - who starred as Ryan Shaver on the hit show - has now clarified to TIME that she is trans, explaining that she's been living and "privately identifying" as a woman.
Dorfman, who is also set to star in Lena Dunham's Sharp Stick, told TIME: "For a year now, I have been privately identifying and living as a woman - a trans woman.
"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," she added.
For the past few months, Dorfman had documented changes in her style and appearance on her Instagram account, but hadn’t discussed her identity as a trans woman publicly.
"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 went on.
"But that's not what I wanted. 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."
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She also explained her decision to keep the same name, adding: "I'm not changing my name. I'm named after my mom's brother who passed a month after I was born, and I feel very connected to that name, to an uncle who held me as he was dying. This is an evolution of Tommy. I'm becoming more Tommy."
Dorfman added that "as a public-facing person that my refusal to clarify can strip me of the freedom to control my own narrative", which saw her want to announce the transition formally.
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She dedicated an Instagram post to the interview, writing she was "thrilled to reintroduce myself as the woman I am today."
"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 added.
"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."
