Hit CW show
America's Next Top Model will feature its
first transgender contestant, Us Weekly
reported Wednesday.
Isis, 22, is from
Prince George's County, Md. She currently lives in New
York City, working at a nonprofit organization.
As far as being a
role model, Isis said she would "like to help people,
but I'm here to follow my dreams."
Neil Giuliano,
president of watchdog group the Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation, praised the decision to include Isis as
one of this season's 14 contestants. "We applaud Tyra
Banks and the CW for making this historic visibility
of transgender people possible," he told Us Weekly.
The show is
slated to premiere September 3. (The Advocate)