Tommy Dorfman, 29, has surprised her fans as she came out as a transgender woman after privately living as a female for a year.

According to the actress, who is best known for her role in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, she has been living as a trans woman for a year. While her fans previously speculated what’s going on after Tommy was seen wearing a dress, it wasn’t until now that the actress publicly came out.

“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,” Tommy, who decided to keep her name, revealed in an interview with TIME.

“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.”

Speaking to the publication, Tommy revealed she’s very connected to her name because she’s named after her uncle who passed away shortly after she was born.

“This is an evolution of Tommy. I’m becoming more Tommy. I am actually myself,” the 29-year-old Netflix actress added.

“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?”

After officially coming out, Tommy thanked her fans for the support and expressed gratitude to trans people who helped her on her journey.

“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 wrote in her Instagram post.

“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.”

Congratulations, Tommy!

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