Tommy Dorfman has alleged that Delta Airlines employees intentionally misgendered her, before threatening to kick her out of the airport.
The 13 Reasons Why actor, who is a trans woman, uploaded a video on TikTok which showed her in a conversation with the staff at a New York airport.
Alongside the since-deleted video of the exchange, >the 31-year-old wrote: ‘When you try to advocate for yourself at @delta and are met with even more transphobia and threats of being arrested at La Guardia.
‘[Redacted], the employee, said he was fine with me posting this. Didn’t realise it was condescending to flag a human rights violation after another employee misgendered me incessantly.’
In the video, Tommy can be heard saying: ‘What about when a Delta employee misgenders you intentionally?’
‘While he’s talking -,’ they begin to say in response.
‘You just misgendered me again,’ she stated. ‘Multiple times, both of you have.’
Replying that it wasn’t their intention to offend, they said: ‘Okay, got you. It wasn’t intentional but if you want to take it personally.’
‘You are being condescending and if you want to continue, I have full authority to escort you out of the building right at this moment if you want to play that game with me,’ they added.
WTX News reached out to Delta who responded: ‘We’re aware of the video and looking into the matter, including reaching out to our customer to understand more about what occurred.’
Who is Tommy? Tommy found fame on 13 Reasons Why
Tommy is best known for playing Ryan Shaver on Netflix’s hit drama, which began in 2017. She has had roles in many other TV series including Jane The Virgin, Insatiable and Love, Victor, as well as a guest judge role on Ru Paul’s Drag Race.
After previously identifying as non-binary, in 2021, Tommy shared that they were a transgender woman and used she/her pronouns.
In an interview with Time, she said: ‘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. Coming out is always viewed as this grand reveal, but I was never not out. Today is about clarity: I am a trans woman.’
Tommy decided to keep her name, due to its connection to a family member and herself.
‘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,’ she shared.
Tommy shared a video on TikTok.