Transgender Pride Flag: Monica Helms 1999 History
The short version
- Transgender (often shortened to "trans") describes anyone whose gender identity differs from the gender they were assigned at birth. The category covers trans women, trans men, and many non-binary identities.
- The transgender pride flag was designed by Monica Helms in 1999. It has 5 horizontal stripes: light blue, light pink, white, light pink, light blue.
- The flag is symmetrical so it's "always correct" no matter how it's flown, a deliberate design choice meant to symbolize trans people finding correctness in their lives.
- "Trans" doesn't require any specific medical step. Hormones, surgery, legal name change, social transition, these are personal choices, not requirements for being trans.
- Trans is distinct from cis (people whose gender matches the one assigned at birth). Both are descriptive terms, not value judgments.
We're Delwin and Jimmy, co-founders of Proud Zebra, a queer-owned Canadian small business designing pride pins and accessories from the Lower Mainland, BC. Trans customers are part of our community across every product line we make, and the trans flag (light blue, pink, white) is one of the more frequently-asked-about identity flags at our pride festival booth.
This guide covers the transgender pride flag and identity, the flag's history, what trans means today, and how the community has expanded language and visibility over the last three decades. It's part of our complete guide to LGBTQ+ pride flags.
What does transgender mean?
Transgender describes anyone whose gender identity differs from the gender they were assigned at birth. The "trans" prefix simply means "across" or "on the other side of." A trans woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth; a trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth; trans non-binary people have a non-binary gender that doesn't align with the binary gender they were assigned.
Trans is a broad category. It includes:
- Trans women and trans men (binary trans identities)
- Many but not all non-binary people
- Many but not all genderfluid, bigender, and demiboy / demigirl people
- People who identify with cultural-specific gender identities like Two-Spirit (note: Two-Spirit is also its own distinct Indigenous identity, rather than only a sub-set of trans)
What trans is not:
- Not a medical diagnosis. Trans is an identity. Some trans people pursue medical transition (hormones, surgeries); many don't. Both are equally trans.
- Not a recent invention. Trans people have existed across cultures and throughout history. The English term "transgender" came into common use in the 1990s; the experience predates that by millennia.
- Not the same as a sexual orientation. Trans people can be straight, gay, lesbian, bi, pan, ace, or any other orientation. Gender identity (who you are) and sexual orientation (who you're attracted to) are separate.
What does the transgender pride flag look like?
The trans pride flag has 5 horizontal stripes. From top to bottom: light blue, light pink, white, light pink, light blue.
| Stripe | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (top) | Light blue | Traditional baby boy colour, representing trans men and masculine-aligned trans people |
| 2 | Light pink | Traditional baby girl colour, representing trans women and feminine-aligned trans people |
| 3 (centre) | White | People who are transitioning, intersex, agender, or non-binary |
| 4 | Light pink | Same meaning as stripe 2 (mirrored) |
| 5 (bottom) | Light blue | Same meaning as stripe 1 (mirrored) |
The flag is intentionally symmetrical, flipping it upside down produces the same pattern. Monica Helms, the flag's designer, said the symmetry was deliberate: "no matter how you fly it, it's always correct, signifying us trying to find correctness in our own lives." (Quoted from Smithsonian records when the flag was acquired in 2014.) Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) archives the original flag and surrounding documentation.
Who designed the transgender pride flag?
Monica Helms designed the transgender pride flag in 1999. Helms is a trans woman and US Navy veteran who created the flag to give the trans community a unified visual symbol distinct from the rainbow flag.
The flag was first flown at a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000 and gained mainstream LGBTQ+ recognition steadily through the 2000s. Helms donated her original flag to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2014, where it remains in the permanent collection alongside Gilbert Baker's original rainbow flag.
Helms has continued advocating for trans rights and visibility since the flag's creation, including founding the Transgender American Veterans Association.
Trans terminology that's worth knowing
A short glossary of community-current terms:
- Trans / transgender, same thing. "Trans" is the shorter, more common form. Both are correct.
- Cis / cisgender, people whose gender matches the one assigned at birth. The opposite of trans, descriptive not pejorative.
- AFAB / AMAB, assigned female / male at birth. Useful for medical or legal contexts; usually not how trans people describe themselves day-to-day.
- Binary trans, trans men and trans women whose gender is binary (male or female), distinct from non-binary trans identities.
- Transitioning, the process of aligning one's life with one's gender. Can include social steps (name, pronouns, presentation), medical steps (hormones, surgeries), and legal steps (ID changes). All optional, all personal.
- Trans-inclusive, describes spaces, language, or organizations that explicitly include trans people. A baseline expectation in modern queer community spaces.
Outdated terms to avoid: "transsexual" (mostly retired in favour of "transgender" in modern English usage, though some older trans people still use it for themselves), and "transgendered" (grammatically incorrect; "transgender" is an adjective, not a verb).
Gender identity vs. gender expression: what's the difference?
Gender identity is who you are; gender expression is how you present that to the world. The two often line up, but they don't have to, and getting the distinction clear matters for understanding trans experience.
- Gender identity is internal. It's the sense of being a woman, a man, non-binary, agender, or another gender. Nobody else can see it directly. Trans people have a gender identity that doesn't match the one assigned at them at birth.
- Gender expression is external. It's clothes, hair, voice, mannerisms, name, pronouns, anything someone else can observe. Expression is shaped by personal taste, culture, safety, and what feels right on a given day.
A trans man can have a feminine gender expression and still be a man. A cis woman can have a masculine expression and still be a woman. A non-binary person might present androgynously, femme, masc, or shift day-to-day. Expression doesn't determine identity, and identity doesn't dictate one specific expression.
This distinction also matters in conversations about kids. A child experimenting with hair length, clothes, or interests outside their assigned-gender stereotypes is exploring gender expression. That exploration is part of normal childhood for kids of any identity, trans or cis.
Transgender vs. cisgender: a quick comparison
| Transgender | Cisgender | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gender identity differs from the gender assigned at birth | Gender identity matches the gender assigned at birth |
| Example | A person assigned male at birth who identifies as a woman | A person assigned female at birth who identifies as a woman |
| Required medical steps | None. Hormones and surgery are personal choices, not requirements | None |
| Term origin | "Trans" means "across" | "Cis" means "on this side of" |
Both terms are descriptive, not value judgments. "Cis" exists for the same reason "straight" exists alongside "gay", to name the unmarked default so we can talk about it without making one option the implicit norm.
"Love the pin and the backing options - very quality item."
Victoria, on our trans flag Rubik's enamel pins
We design trans pride pins, trans pride lanyards, and trans identity cube pins across the trans flag colours. Browse the full pride pins collection for the complete range.
Pronoun pins pair well with identity-flag pins. They make day-to-day pronoun signalling easier in workplaces, classrooms, and at the doctor's office, where misgendering tends to happen most. We carry pronoun pins for she/her, he/him, they/them, she/they, and he/they.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the transgender pride flag?
Monica Helms, a trans woman and US Navy veteran, designed the transgender pride flag in 1999. The flag was first flown in 2000 at a Phoenix pride parade. Helms donated the original flag to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2014.
What do the colours of the trans pride flag mean?
The trans flag has 5 stripes: light blue (representing trans men and masculine-aligned trans people), light pink (trans women and feminine-aligned trans people), and white (people who are transitioning, intersex, agender, or non-binary). The light pink and light blue mirror so the flag is symmetrical, designed by Monica Helms to be "always correct" no matter which way it flies.
Do you have to take hormones or have surgery to be trans?
No. Being trans is about gender identity, not medical steps. Some trans people pursue hormones, surgeries, or other medical transition steps; many don't. Some can't, due to cost, health, or access. None of this affects whether someone is trans. The community-current understanding is that trans identity is self-defined and doesn't require gatekeeping based on medical or legal milestones.
Are non-binary people transgender?
Many are; some aren't. Non-binary describes someone whose gender isn't exclusively male or female. Trans describes someone whose gender differs from the one assigned at birth. Most non-binary people meet the trans definition (their gender doesn't match what they were assigned), but using the trans label is a personal choice. Some non-binary people identify as both; some only as non-binary; some only as trans.
What's the difference between transgender and transsexual?
"Transgender" is the modern, preferred term across most English-language LGBTQ+ communities. "Transsexual" is older and now mostly retired, though some older trans people still use it as a self-identifier (often to specifically signal medical transition). Don't use "transsexual" for someone unless they've told you they use it. "Transgendered" is also outdated, "transgender" is an adjective, not a verb.
What's the difference between transgender and cisgender?
Transgender means someone's gender identity differs from the gender they were assigned at birth. Cisgender means someone's gender identity matches the gender they were assigned at birth. Both are descriptive terms, not value judgments. The "cis" prefix means "on this side of"; "trans" means "across." Naming both lets us talk about gender without making one option the implicit default.
What's the difference between gender identity and gender expression?
Gender identity is internal: it's the sense of being a woman, a man, non-binary, or another gender. Gender expression is external: it's clothes, hair, voice, mannerisms, name, and pronouns, anything someone else can observe. The two often align, but they don't have to. A trans man can have a feminine expression and still be a man. A cis woman can have a masculine expression and still be a woman. Expression doesn't determine identity, and identity doesn't dictate one specific expression.
Carrying the flag forward
The transgender pride flag has been flying for over 25 years now, and the trans community has built remarkable visibility in that time. The Helms flag remains the most-recognized trans symbol globally, and the symmetry built into the design (the fact that it can never be "upside down") keeps proving meaningful as the community keeps building space for itself in mainstream culture.
If you wear a trans pride pin, a trans lanyard, or one of the more specific identity flags from our complete pride flags guide, you're flying a flag designed by a trans woman to make sure trans people would always have something visibly, unmistakably their own.
We've donated $10,219.58 CAD to LGBTQ+ organizations to date, including Rainbow Refugee, Covenant House Vancouver, GLSEN, UNYA, and a range of pride societies across British Columbia. Trans-supporting organizations are a meaningful part of where that giving lands. For practical guidance on showing up for trans people in your life, see our supporting transgender people guide.
Written by Delwin Tan, Co-Founder of Proud Zebra
Published 2026-05-06. Last updated 2026-05-18.
Delwin co-founded Proud Zebra with his partner Jimmy Cheang in late 2020. We're a queer-owned Canadian small business, designing pride pins, patches, stickers, and accessories from the Lower Mainland, BC. We've donated $10,219.58 CAD to LGBTQ+ organizations to date.
