One of the 14 girls who will compete on the new season of reality TV hit America's Next Top Model is transgender, reports US Weekly. Iris is in the running to become America's Next Top Model "My cards were dealt differently," explains Isis, a 22-year-old former receptionist from Maryland. She identifies herself as "a woman born physically male", and says on the show she's "here to follow her dreams." The inclusion of Isis is being hailed by the president of LGBT media watchdog group the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Neil Giuliano says Iris's appearance on the show is "an unprecedented opportunity for a community that is underrepresented on television. "We applaud [show host] Tyra Banks and the network for making this historic visibility of transgender people possible," Giuliano said. Recent episodes of America's Next Top Model are popular locally on TV3, where episodes featuring Iris will be screened in coming months.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 14th August 2008 - 10:44am