Isis King

Biography

Isis King (born October 1, 1985) is an American model, actress, and fashion designer. King is most widely known for her role on both the eleventh cycle and the seventeenth cycle of the reality television show America's Next Top Model. She was the first openly trans woman to compete on the show, and became one of the most visible transgender people on television. King starred as Sol Perez on the Amazon Prime Video romantic comedy series With Love between 2021 and 2023.

== Biography == King was born as a male but has stated, "mentally and everything else" she was "born female." She has stated, people might refer to her as "transgender" or "transsexual", but she prefers the phrase "born in the wrong body". While in high school, King came out as "gay" but later felt it was not an accurate label for her. King has an associate degree in design and illustration from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. King moved to New York to begin her transition, but didn’t earn enough money to afford rent, and her family opposed her transition. As a result, she moved into the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth. In 2007, King appeared in an MSNBC special titled Born in the Wrong Body, which documented the lives of transgender teens from across the United States. King began hormone replacement therapy in the summer of 2007, as part of her transitioning process. She had gender reassignment surgery in 2009, which she stated on America's Next Top Model: All-Stars.

== Early career == King had been runway modeling for seven years before participating in America's Next Top Model. Her experience included competing in the underground ball culture scene. In a promotional interview for ANTM, King stated she was looking forward to runway as she had been "walking" for seven years. She has also worked as a receptionist at a hair salon, and as a program assistant for a nonprofit organization.

== America's Next Top Model ==

=== America's Next Top Model Cycle 10 === King was living at the Ali Forney Transitional Living Program when she learned about an upcoming photo shoot for the tenth cycle of America's Next Top Model.

=== America's Next Top Model Cycle 11 === King asked ANTM art director Jay Manuel whether she could be accepted as a girl "born in the wrong body" if she were to audition as a contestant for the program. After the shoot, show host and producer Tyra Banks had her staff search out King to encourage her to audition based on her performance in the photo shoot. King was the twelfth finalist selected (just before Clark Gilmer and Joslyn Pennywell filled the final two places) for the top fourteen to compete on the reality television show America's Next Top Model Cycle 11. She received one second call-out (after Marjorie Conrad) and survived the bottom two over Nikeysha Clarke. She became the fifth eliminated overall in her second bottom two appearance after eventual runner up, Samantha Potter, survived for the first time ever. Isis King began posing for a photography set primarily concentrated on youth homelessness, which became the catalyst for her returning for cycle 17.

=== America's Next Top Model Cycle 17: All-Stars === After her first appearance on the show, King was selected to return to America's Next Top Model along with former fellow contestant Sheena Sakai to both represent their Cycle together on the first All-Star edition of the show along with twelve other returning models from past America's Next Top Model cycles. During her time on the show, she received one first call-out in the first week and was eliminated third after former Cycle 12 semifinalist and Cycle 14 contestant Angelea Preston survived her first-ever bottom two appearance. Taz Tagore, co-founder of the Reciprocity Foundation, said that King had an agenda when participating in Cycle 17, she wanted to break the stigma and destroy the barriers for those who identify with the LGBTQ+ community. She became a role model for women in that community.

== After ANTM ==