The "RuPaul's Drag Race" star understands all too well the pressure of transitioning while already in the public eye.
Tommy Dorfman has a new sister — lots of them, in fact.
"RuPaul's Drag Race" alum Carmen Carrera just welcomed the "13 Reasons Why" star -- who recently came out as a transgender woman -- to the trans community.
13 Reasons Why Star Tommy Dorfman Comes Out as a Trans Woman
View Story"I just want to send out a lot of love to Tommy who just came out as trans," Carrera said while leaving dinner on Melrose in LA on Saturday. "Welcome, welcome to The Sisterhood, we embrace you with open arms!"
Carrera, who herself previously identified as a gay man before coming out as trans, understands all too well the pressure of transitioning while already in the public eye.
"Just keep being you," she advised. "You know, it's hard to be open and be yourself, because the world does judge a lot, especially when they know you in one aesthetic, because that's sort of like my story — they knew me on 'Drag Race,' then I transitioned and stuff ... so it can get a little bit scary."
She assured: "But it's gonna be okay. And you have a ton of support, and we're here for you, so just keep being strong and keep being an amazing example of possibility for the world!"
Tommy reintroduced herself to the world on July 22 in an interview with TIME Magazine.
"We're talking today to discuss my gender. For a year now, I have been privately identifying and living as a woman -- a trans woman," explained Dorfman, who goes by she/her pronouns. "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."
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View StoryWhile she said "coming out" is usually seen as a "grand reveal," Dorfman hasn't been hiding on social media -- which she's used to show "a body living in a more fluid space" throughout her transition.
"With this medical transition, there has been discourse about my body, and it began to feel overwhelming," she continued. "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."
She decided that, instead of having her own narrative "stripped" away due to her initial "refusal to clarify," she came out in TIME. Dorfman said she has no plans to change her name, which came from her late uncle.
Tommy has been married to Peter Zurkuhlen since 2016, but explained in the interview they are moving forward "as friends."
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