Born Darrell Walls in PG County, Maryland, Isis was just about as regular a guy and student as you could get - as this photo shows. But from a very early age, there were signs that she was incomplete as a male, and that she wanted to be something different. While in high school, King came out as "gay" but later felt that it was not an accurate label for her.
At first she struggled with social norms. "I wanted to do everything that girls did - play with hair, walk in heels, and play double dutch, but I would get disciplined for it," she said of her early life. "I learned to keep everything to myself and internalize it." But later, she grew in confidence and through watching - surprisingly - Jerry Springer, she found her voice, moved to New York, and began transitioning in 2007.