Transgender actress Tommy Dorfman accused Delta Air Lines workers of committing a “human rights violation” after misgendering her during a row which went viral this week after she shared a video of the incident online.
Dorfman, who starred in Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, uploaded a brief clip of the confrontation to her TikTok account over the weekend. The footage shows Dorfman accusing the staff of misgendering her—referring to her by the wrong pronouns—“multiple times,” alleging one worker did so “intentionally.”
@tommy.dorfman when you try to advocate for yourself at @delta ♬ original sound - tommy.dorfman
In a caption accompanying the clip, which has since attracted millions of views across multiple social media platforms, Dorfman said the incident had taken place at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The 31-year-old, who confirmed in 2021 that she is a trans woman who uses she/her pronouns, said one of the Delta employees was named Tristan and “said he was fine with” the footage being posted online.
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“And what about when a Delta employee misgenders you intentionally?” a voice off camera—apparently Dorfman—can be heard saying as a Delta worker appears to be speaking to someone else. Seemingly referring to Dorfman, the worker can be heard saying: “While she’s talk—while he’s talking…”
“You just misgendered me again,” Dorfman says.
“It wasn’t intentional, but if you want to take it personal, that’s also OK,” the worker responds, addressing Dorfman. Dorfman then says the Delta employee’s colleague had “intentionally” misgendered her twice. “You’re being condescending,” the worker responds, adding: “And if you want to continue, I’ll have Port Authority escort you out the building right this moment if you want to play that game with me. Would you like to continue three days before Christmas? I really don’t mind.”
In her caption, Dorfman wrote she didn’t “realize it was condescending to flag a human rights violation after another employee misgendered me incessantly.” It’s not clear what had preceded the altercation.
In a statement to Newsweek, a Delta spokesperson said the airline is “aware of the video and looking into the matter, including reaching out to our customer to understand more about what occurred.”
