Created by Monica Helms in 1999.
Unveiled at the 2000 Phoenix AZ Pride Parade.
Definition
“Often shortened as ‘trans’. An umbrella term for people whose gender and/or expression does not match their birth assignment.”
– The Transgender Language Primer. See the full Transgender definition.
Style Guide
This flag has 5 even horizontal stripes which are colored (top to bottom) turquoise (#5BCEFA), salmon pink (#F5A9B8), white (#FFFFFF), salmon pink (#F5A9B8), and turquoise (#5BCEFA).
Meaning
“The light blue is the traditional color for baby boys, and the pink is the traditional color for baby girls,” Helms described the three-color five-striped flag. “The white in the middle is neutral, for all those who feel they have a neutral or undefined gender. And no matter which way you fly it, it will always be correct, sort of like a palindrome, a word you can spell from front or back and it comes out the same, like ‘mom’. That is our way of sort of symbolizing our trying to find correctness in our own lives,”
– [1]Transgender Tapestry Issue #90 Summer 2000, Flying a Palindrome
About the Creator
Monica Helms served in the US Navy from 1970-1978 [4] and served on two submarines [2]. She founded Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) in 2003, and was president 2003-2013 [2]. She has two sons. Her hobby is model rockets and she has a bunch of videos on YouTube [2].
Influence
“In 1999, Monica Helms was a member of BiNet USA. At a meeting, Michael Page, the creator of the bisexual pride flag, suggested that the transgender community also needed a flag. He said to keep it simple. One morning Monica woke up and the pattern came to her. She got up and drew it out, instantly loving the pattern. She contacted the same company that made bisexual flag and they sent her some swatches. She picked the colors and two weeks later she received the first transgender Pride flag.” [3] – [3] History of Trans Flag