Tommy Dorfman and Peter Zurkuhlen are officially calling it quits after five years of marriage, months after the star came out as a trans woman.
In new court documents, obtained by TMZ, the 33-year-old Founder & CEO of ChipChop Holdings filed for divorce in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The former couple met at a housewarming party hosted by a mutual friend, became engaged in April 2015 and wed the following year.
Divorcing: Tommy Dorfman and Peter Zurkuhlen are officially calling it quits after five years of marriage, months after the star came out as a transgender woman; seen together in 2018
In July, when Tommy, 29, came out as transgender, she also revealed that her relationship with Zurkuhlen had evolved into a friendship.
‘I was in a nine-year relationship in which I was thought of as a more male-bodied person, with a gay man,’ she explained in an interview with Time.
‘I love him so much, but we’ve been learning that as a trans woman, what I’m interested in is not necessarily reflected in a gay man. So we’ve had incredible conversations to redefine our relationship as friends.’
Inevitable split: In July, when Tommy (pictured in November) came out as transgender, she also revealed that her relationship with Zurkuhlen has evolved into a friendship since she began embracing her gender
Tommy’s husband took to social media to publicly support her coming out announcement over the summer.
Peter gushed that he had ‘so much love’ for Dorfman, who he described as ‘gorgeous.’
The 13 Reasons Why star publicly revealed she was a transgender woman in an interview with Time during a chat with trans novelist Torrey Peters.
‘I love him so much, but we’ve been learning that as a trans woman, what I’m interested in is not necessarily reflected in a gay man. So we’ve had incredible conversations to redefine our relationship as friends’ (seen in 2020)
‘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,’ she told the writer.
Dorfman added: ‘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.’
The performer sparked speculation from fans about her gender identity this past year after changing her appearance on Instagram, as well as stepping out with actor Lucas Hedges in New York last year wearing a summer dress.
Coming out: The performer sparked speculation from fans about her gender identity this past year after changing her appearance on Instagram, as well as stepping out with actor Lucas Hedges in New York last year wearing a summer dress; seen in 2021
Dorfman also revealed in the interview why she decided to keep her name amid her transition, explaining: ‘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 added: ‘This is an evolution of Tommy. I’m becoming more Tommy… I am actually myself.’
Talking about her decision to come out, Dorfman said: ‘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?’
She added: ‘So I kept, on Instagram, a diaristic time capsule instead – one that shows a body living in a more fluid space.’
Longtime partners: The former couple met at a housewarming party hosted by a mutual friend, became engaged in April 2015 and wed the following year; seen in 2017
‘However, I’ve learned as a public-facing person that my refusal to clarify can strip me of the freedom to control my own narrative,’ Tommy went on.
‘With this medical transition, there has been discourse about my body, and it began to feel overwhelming.’
The actress explained that she did consider a different route in publicly coming out, including disappearing for two years and coming back into the spotlight ‘with a new name, new face and new body.’
However, Dorfman said that it was something she ‘couldn’t afford to do’ and wasn’t what she wanted.
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue9OvqqGnp5e2u3vTqKSmsV2ZvLOyzJqlrGWYqsCjrc2dZKmdpJq%2FbsbUq6KuoJyau260wKxkn6GcmrFuss6rZJ2hpqS%2FpLGMmp2tnaJis6rCxGawnpmiqHqwsoymmKuqmZa0pns%3D