body builder. (James Reid Vickers/Facebook)

"My parents dealt with it the best way they could," June said.

"They weren't rejecting me, but I don't think they were initially supportive either."

These days, Patricia and Timothy Vickers are close to their daughter, and Patricia often visits June in her apartment in Fredericton.

The mirror image

Twin James learned about June while going through a transformation of his own.

James, who was a thin, long-haired metal head in high school, wanted to teach music. He left Blackville for St. Thomas University in Fredericton unaware his twin still at home was transgender.

At university, James found that learning music took the fun out of it, so he switched to criminology.

James Vickers is working to gain muscle mass for his next competition. (James Reid Vickers/Facebook)

He also joined the reservesat Base Gagetown, ditched the long hair and picked up weights.

James started going to the gym on a regular basis to build his body mass.

"Some of the things that might have motivated me to go was that I was always geeky," said James, who now competes regularly as a body builder. "Once I went there, I fell in love with training."

June and James Vickers say they are just the way they've always been — twins. (Nathalie Sturgeon/CBC)

After his grandmother Marsha shared June's secret with James, he waited for weeks for his twin to "drop the bombshell" about her gender identity.

At first, although he had suspected his twin might be gay, James didn't understand what June was going through as a transgender person. His confusion and lack of understanding