A video by transgender actress Tommy Dorfman, in which she accuses Delta Air Lines Employees of “intentionally” misgendering her, quickly went viral and sparked a fiery debate on social media.
Dorfman, who played Ryan Shaver in the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why, came out as a transgender woman in 2021. The 31-year-old actress shared a roughly 30-second clip to her TikTok over the weekend, showing part of the altercation. In the video, Dorfman said while at LaGuardia Airport in New York City several Delta employees, including one she identified as “Tristan,” intentionally misgendered her “multiple” times.
“When you try to advocate for yourself at @delta and are met woth [SIC] even more transpbobia [SIC] and threats of being arrested at LaGuardia [SIC],” Dorfman said in the post, which included the video of part of the incident. “Tristan, the employee, said he was fine with me posting this. didn’t realize it was condescending to flag a human rights violation after another employee misgendered me incessantly.
@tommy.dorfman when you try to advocate for yourself at @delta and are met woth even more transpbobia and threats of being arrested at laguardia. tristan, the employee, said he was fine with me posting this. didnt realize it was condescending to flag a human rights violation after another employee misgendered me incessantly.
In the video, Dorfman confronts one employee, saying: “And what about when a Delta employee misgenders you intentionally.”
The employee responds that “it wasn’t intentional.”
“You’re being condescending,” the employee said to Dorfman in the video. “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. Which if you’d like to continue three days before Christmas, I really don’t mind.”
Cindy Ord/WireImage/Getty
Newsweek reached out on Tuesday to Dorfman’s social media and her agent’s website for comment on the incident.
The Anti-Defamation League states that because names and pronouns are two ways people refer to themselves and others, both are “personal and important.”
“They are also key facets of our identity,” the anti-hate organization said on its website. “Therefore, calling someone by the wrong name or ‘misgendering’ them by using incorrect pronouns can feel disrespectful, harmful and potentially unsafe.
Delta’s website states that the airline has had a “long-standing commitment” to diversity, equity and inclusion.
A spokesperson for Delta told Newsweek in an email on Tuesday night that “we’re aware of the video and looking into the matter, including reaching out to our customer to understand more about what occurred.”
While multiple social media users voiced support for the actress, praising Dorfman for standing up for herself in the comments of her TikTok post, the video also ignited immense conservative backlash with numerous people giving kudos to the Delta employee featured in the clip.
Commentator Collin Rugg shared Dorfman’s TikTok video of the incident on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday evening where the viral post amassed more than 7 million views and more than 4,500 comments in a few hours.
Rugg lashed out at Dorfman for being friends with Dylan Mulvaney, the trans social media influencer whose partnership with Anheuser-Busch enraged conservatives and led to a monthslong boycott of Bud Light.
“NEW: Delta employee fed up with the pronoun police & threatens to kick man out of LaGuardia airport who whined about being ‘misgendered,'” Rugg said in the X post. “Give this man a raise! ‘Wasn’t intentional. But if you want to take it personal, that’s ok.’ The person in the video, a friend of Dylan Mulvaney, shared it to TikTok in an effort to ‘expose’ the employee but it backfired miserably.”
NEW: Delta employee fed up with the pronoun police & threatens to kick man out of LaGuardia airport who whined about being “misgendered.”
Give this man a raise!
“Wasn’t intentional. But if you want to take it personal, that’s ok.”
The person in the video, a friend of Dylan… pic.twitter.com/KfC1ojMGln
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 26, 2023
Commentator Amiri King also shared Dorfman’s video on X, with King’s post amassing another 6 million views and more than 2,500 comments.
“An entitled LGBTQ pronoun warrior meets a Delta employee that ain’t f****** having it,” King said in the viral X post.
X user Matthew Zavala said in a post that the actress handled the situation disrespectfully.
“I am not coming at this from the right,” Matthew Zavala posted on X. “But this is reminder that respect goes both ways. I’ll respect anyone’s wish to be addressed respectfully. Kindly correct me if I’m wrong. Being disrespectful as such will only backfire. Kudos to this Delta employee.”
Podcast host Monica Crowley posted at Delta’s X account, urging the airline to give the employee a raise.
“Delta employee puts a pronoun tyrant in his place,” Crowley said in the X post. “This is how it’s done. @Delta give this guy a raise & promotion!”
CJ Pearson, a conservative commentator, also sided with the Delta employee, referring to the airline worker as “Delta Employee of the year” in an X post.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
