Awareness
This year, the Trans pride flag celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary as one of the most beloved and iconic symbols of the Transgender community. Flown high and proud across the world at government buildings, businesses, outdoor spaces and homes alike, the Trans flag stands as an instantly recognizable symbol of support and community for those with a Trans identity.
One of the oldest out of the family of pride flags, the Trans flag was created by Trans woman and US Navy veteran Monica Helms in 1999. She was inspired to do so after a conversation with Michael Page, a friend who happened to be the designer of the Bisexual flag of 1998. The flag was first flown at a Pride parade held in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2000, and rapidly expanded in popularity from there. Helms herself was shocked at just how iconic the flag became, writing in her 2019 memoir that: “The speed with which the flag’s usage spread never fails to surprise me, and every time I see it, or a photo of it, flying above a historic town hall or building I am filled with pride.”
The Trans flag has a symmetrical design, such that it cannot possibly be flown the ‘wrong’ way. This represents the incontrovertible truth of a Trans lived experience and the ‘rightness’ that is found in identifying as such. Baby blue and Baby pink stripes are an homage to the traditional colours of baby boys and girls, while the white stripe in the middle is, in Helms’ words, “for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender.” In 2018, Daniel Quasar incorporated the three colours of the Trans flag into their design for the Progress Pride Flag, which was intended to represent all identities. Since then, the Progress flag has become yet another enduring symbol of GSRD identity and community around the globe.
In 2010, the Brighton and Hove Council flew the flag in recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance. This marked the first time a governmental entity displayed the flag, but by no means would it be the last. The flag was raised in San Fransisco’s Castro District two years later in 2012, likewise in commemoration of Transgender Day of Remembrance, and in 2015 Philadelphia became the first US county government to fly the flag, which they did to mark the 14th annual Trans Health Conference. The flag remained positioned next to the US and city flags for the duration of the conference, during which then-mayor Michael Nutter gave a speech affirming Philadelphia’s acceptance of the Trans community.
In 2019, Jennifer Wexton, a Virginia Representative hung a Trans flag outside of her office as a show of support for the community. That same year, Iowa and California’s State Capitols raised the flag for Transgender Day of Remembrance, the first time the flag had flown above any state capitol. In 2023, the colours likewise flew over the White House for the first time as part of the Progress Pride flag, a landmark moment for one of the centres of American federal politics.
Here in Canada, Vancouver City Hall raised both the Progress and Trans pride flags in anticipation of the city’s Pride parade on August 4th, an event which also marked the city’s hosting of Canada Pride. The flag has likewise flown proudly at locations like the BC Legislature, Parliament Hill, schools and universities, and other such public buildings.
In 2014, Helms donated her original Trans pride flag to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where it remains to this day. The Trans flag and its distinctive colours, have served as a definitive symbol of community, safety, and solidarity for twenty-five years, and will doubtless continue to do so for countless years to come.
