Rain Valdez, a trans actor who worked on Transparent as a director’s assistant and coordinating producer, has come out with her own statement in support of Trace Lysette and Van Barnes, following an overly-sympathetic profile of Jeffrey Tambor in The Hollywood Reporter.
In the statement, Valdez alleges that upon meeting her for the first time, Tambor put his arms around her waist and “planted a kiss” on her mouth. She was taken aback at first, but felt grateful because she was working on a show that “celebrated” her identity.
Valdez also corroborates Lysette’s accusations against Tambor, which she went public with in 2017, saying that Lysette told her that Tambor had indeed said that he wanted to “attack her sexually” and that he also pressed his genitals into her body while “humping” her leg. The impetus for Valdez to speak up was the THR article, published Tuesday—the first step in a slow but steady redemption tour for an actor who was previously revered and is now facing the consequences of his actions (while promoting the new season of Arrested Development).
“I want to declare again that I believe my sisters Trace and Van. I continue to stand with them 100% and I will do anything I can to help stop the vilifying because we’re done with that,” she wrote, adding, “We’re done with the lies and no pity party article is going to change that.”