Transgender Pride Flag, 3x5 feet. Discover the History of the Transgender Flag
Transgender Pride Flag, 3x5 feet. Discover the History of the Transgender Flag
In stock
Couldn't load pickup availability
Description
The Transgender Flag
Also called the Transgender Pride Flag, is used by Transgender people, organizations and communities to represent Pride, diversity, rights and/or remembrance within the Transgender community. Its usage is similar to the original rainbow flag but specific to the Transgender community.
It was designed in 1999 by Monica Helms and has since been adopted by the Transgender community around the world.
The design features five horizontal stripes of three colors in the order light blue, light pink, white, light pink, and light blue. There are related flags as well, including ones which combine the "progress" version of the rainbow flag with the Transgender and Intersex flags, as well as various flags for niches within the Transgender community.
Beyond the Transgender flag design, some artists have created alternative designs used by their local communities.
History and design
The flag was created by American trans woman Monica Helms in 1999 and was first shown at a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000. Helms got the idea after talking with a friend, Michael Page, who had designed the Bisexual flag the year prior.
Helms describes the meaning of the Transgender pride flag as follows:
The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender.
On 19 August 2014, Monica Helms donated the original Transgender pride flag to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
In 2019, 20 years after the creation of the flag, Helms published a memoir, "More than Just a Flag", in which she noted how surprised she was at the adoption of her flag:
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.
