Tommy Dorfman has revealed that she's "never felt better" since coming out as transgender and reintroducing herself as a woman last month.
Speaking to InStyle, the 29-year-old actress spoke about her recent transition and the effect that it has had on her life.
The 13 Reasons Why star stated that the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the support of fans and members of the trans community, had motivated her to embrace her true gender identity and live authentically.
She explained: "I just switched my hormones, and I've never felt better in my life. I spent 28 years of my life suicidal and depressed and recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction.
"I don't think I've ever been genuinely happy until this past year. I look at the Internet chronicle of photos of me since I started working, and I can see how f***ing unhappy I was in every photo. It's wild."
She added:
"Two weeks into having estrogen in my body, I was like, 'Oh.' It felt like I sank into the earth and was grounded. I can sleep now.
"I wake up moderately happy. I felt it hit, and I was like: 'Let's ride.' And as the testosterone leaves my body, I feel so much better. I'm more energized. I feel how I think I was always supposed to feel."
Dorfman also reflected on her upbringing, mentioning that she had consistently worn dresses throughout her childhood and that her mother had saved a collection of these garments for her.
The performer first came out in a photoshoot made in collaboration with TIME magazine in July of 2021, which she shared with her 1.4 million followers.
Alongside the images, she wrote: "Thrilled to reintroduce myself as the woman I am today. my pronouns are she/her. thank you, @time, for this space, @torreyadora for writing this story, and @gizellehernandez for these images. [sic]"
Dorfman added: "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 that showed me who I am, how to live, celebrate myself, and take up space in this world. [sic]"
