Casil McArthur

The Colorado Native and Cosplay Enthusiast Is Helping Set the Pace for the Future of Transgender Visibility in Modeling.

- Molly Beauchemin

On this frigid February evening at a trendy café in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, Casil McArthur is about two weeks into his 18th year of life. So that puts him on the cusp of Aquarius? “No, fuck that!” the model and emerging runway star says with a laugh, some residual glitter from this afternoon’s photo shoot sparkling under the mood lighting. “I’m a Capricorn.”

Casil (pronounced “castle”) will not be mischaracterized. As a transgender man, being seen for who he really is has always been at the forefront of his mind. “I used to freak out over wearing shirts that button up on the ‘women’s side,’ because they button on a different side than men’s shirts,” he recalls from his childhood growing up as a girl. “I noticed everything like that on myself, because to me, any little indicator was a horrible reminder of something I didn’t identify with.”

Last year, when he marched in Coach’s pre-fall ’17 men’s wear show— his first post-transition runway appearance—dressed in tailored hounds tooth slacks, a brown furry coat, and a T-shirt emblazoned with a vintage NASA logo, McArthur’s true self was on proud display. Since then, his momentum has only increased as a new staple of the teen model elite, and his importance as an emerging trans model is paramount.