Isis King

Isis King

Isis King (born Darrell Walls on October 1, 1985 in Prince George's County , Maryland ) is an American model and fashion designer . She was a participant in the 11th & 17th season of America's Next Top Model and was also the first transsexual to take part in the show.

In the USA she is one of the best known transsexuals and is committed to raising awareness of the problems of transgender people through her fame.

Personal

Isis King was born Darrell Walls in Prince George's County, Maryland. She moved to New York City early with her family . During her high school days, she came out as a gay man , although she felt that this sexual orientation was not really hers, a fact that was also reflected in her feelings. In 2007, King took part in the “Born in the Wrong Body” show on MSNBC that featured young transsexuals in the United States . In the summer of 2007, she began hormone therapy in preparation for her gender reassignment surgery .

Tyra Banks arranged for King to have surgery with Dr. Marci Bowers, who is recognized as one of the leading professionals in the field of gender reassignment surgery. The operation was carried out on February 27, 2009.

King graduated from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. She worked as a receptionist in a hair salon and as an assistant for a charity.

America's Next Top Model

King participated in the Ali Forney Transitional Living Program , which provides housing for homeless women. During this time she heard of an upcoming photoshoot for season 10 of America's Next Top Model (ANTM), which was supposed to address the problems of young, homeless women. Affected women should be engaged as background models. The shooting took place with the support of the Reciprocity Foundation, which gives young people from problematic backgrounds careers in creative industries.

She applied to art director Jay Manuel and asked if she could participate as a transsexual. Tyra Banks announced that the ANTM production team has been encouraging King to attend the season 11 auditions. She was one of the 14 finalists and finished in tenth place.

Also in the 17th season, in which only former candidates participated, she was one of the 14 participants. She took 12th place.

Influence on media and society

Neil Giuliano , a gay rights activist and president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation , called Isis King's appearance in the public media an "unprecedented opportunity." King was seen on American television at prime time and was able to publicly draw attention to the problems of transgender people and bring them closer to people who had never dealt with this topic before. ANTM executive producer Ken Mok called it "Tyra's True Mission" to use Isis to rethink the "definition of beauty."

During the filming of ANTM, the participants lived together and were accompanied by cameras. This showed the American people what problems and prejudices King encounters in everyday life. King's hormone intake was also discussed during the show. One participant addressed the lack of acceptance of transgender people in the smaller communities and places in the USA and in the conservative southern states . Other participants called King a drag queen and gave her derogatory nicknames for her transsexuality.

The New York Magazine described King as one of the largest transsexual models in history. Only a few before her would have achieved such fame as Amanda Lepore or the promoter and gender bender André J. , who made it to the cover of French Vogue with top model Carolyn Murphy .

In 2019, King played the transsexual Marci Wise in the mini-series When They See Us , who is murdered while her brother Korey, convicted as one of the so-called Central Park 5 , is in prison. In an interview, King stated, “Unfortunately, stories like yours are not unique. By the time I auditioned for the role, another trans woman was killed. When this project came out, another woman [Muhlaysia Booker, note] was killed […]. It's hard when you live in a world that doesn't believe you belong. "

Filmography

• Bella Maddo (2010)
• Rich and Beautiful (2015)
• Shameless (2016)
• When They See Us (2019)

Web links

• Isis King in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Isis King from 'America's Next Top Model'. October 6, 2008, accessed January 6, 2010 . 
2. ^ Tyra Banks Surprises Contestant With Sex Change Operation. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved January 6, 2010 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
3. ↑ ^{a b} Interview with Isis King on 'America's Next Top Model'. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on January 6, 2010 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
4. ^ “ In high school, I came out as a gay male; even though I felt like that's not who I was, it started to change things for me. "( Isis King : In: Interview with glam.com)
5. ↑ Isis King on ANTM Cast. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 19, 2010 ; Retrieved January 6, 2010 . 
6. ↑ ANTM Cycle 10: Homeless Edition. Retrieved January 6, 2010 . 
7. ↑ War of the Supermodels. Retrieved January 6, 2010 . 
8. ↑ 'Top Model' producer: Transgender model to help "redefine" beauty. Retrieved January 6, 2010 . 
9. ^ Tranny Models Who Made History. Retrieved January 6, 2010 . 
10. ↑ Tom Dart: Muhlaysia Booker: an advocate against trans violence is mourned in Texas . In: The Guardian . May 21, 2019, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed June 22, 2019]).
11. ↑ Actress Isis King Discusses The True Story Behind Marci Wise From 'When They See Us'. June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019 (American English).