Monica Helms

Monica Helms
Monica Helms on June 26, 2015
Born (1951-03-08) March 8, 1951 (age 73)
Sumter, South Carolina, United States
NationalityAmerican
Occupation
  • Writer
    Speaker
    Activist
    Camera Operator
    Editor
Known for
Political partyDemocratic Party[1]
Spouse(s)Darlene Darlington Wagner, PhD

Monica F. Helms (born 8 March 1951) is an American transgender activist, author, and veteran of the United States Navy. She created the best-known transgender flag.[2]

Education

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Helms received a General AA Degree and an AA in Industrial Television from Glendale Community College in Arizona in 1987 and graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College in 2018 with an AA Degree in Television Production Technology.[3]

US Navy career

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Helms served in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1978, and was assigned to two submarines: USS Francis Scott Key (1972–1976) and USS Flasher (1976–1978).[4] During her time in the Navy, Helms began dressing as a woman while based in Charleston, South Carolina and says in an interview it was the "deepest, darkest secret in [her] entire life".[5] She was reassigned to the San Francisco area in 1976, and said she "felt like [she] could be out in public as [herself]".[5]

Helms left the Navy in 1978, and joined her hometown's chapter of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. in 1996.[6] After transitioning, Helms reapplied in 1998 to the Phoenix chapter of the veteran's group with the name "Monica" and received considerable push-back, including being referred to a more generic veteran's group for women rather than the submarine specific group. Helms eventually prevailed after a few months and is the first trans woman to ever join the organization.[6]

Activism

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Transgender pride flag

Helms created a transgender pride flag in 1999,[7][2] and it was first flown at a Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000.[8]

Helms founded the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) in 2003, and remained president until 2013. On May 1, 2004, TAVA sponsored the first ever Transgender Veterans March to the Wall. Fifty trans veterans arrived in DC and visited the Vietnam Memorial to honor people they knew whose names are on The Wall. They also made history when they became the first openly transgender people to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. They did it again in 2005.[4] Even now, Helms continues to advocate for transgender service members and veterans. She was elected as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the first openly trans person elected to a DNC Convention from Georgia.[9]

Helms donated her original transgender pride flag to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, at the first ceremony honoring the addition of a collection of LGBT historical items at the Smithsonian on August 19, 2014.[10][11]

In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, an event widely considered a watershed moment in the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named her one of the Pride50 for "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people".[12]

Book

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In 2019, Helms released an autobiography titled More than just a flag, detailing major events in her life from childhood, her career in the Navy and activism for the transgender community, published by MB Books.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ Hoffert, Barbara (2001-08-01). "Monica Helms". Transgender American Veterans Association. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  2. ^ a b Fairyington, Stephanie (12 November 2014). "The Smithsonian's Queer Collection". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Monica Helms: Creator of the Transgender Flag - VA News". news.va.gov. 2021-06-10. Archived from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  4. ^ a b Saunders, Patrick (5 May 2016). "LGBT Military: Atlanta transgender members, veterans await end to ban". Georgia Voice. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b Saunders, Patrick (5 October 2009). "Monica Helms, transsexual Navy veteran". Creative Loafing. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b Daileda, Colin (29 Oct 2012). "For Transgendered Soldiers, Don't Ask Don't Tell Carries On". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  7. ^ Brian van de Mark (10 May 2007). "Gay and Lesbian Times". Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Sankin, Aaron (20 Nov 2012). "Transgender Flag Flies In San Francisco's Castro District After Outrage From Activists". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Trans Resilience and Military Service: Notable Transgender and Non-binary Veterans" (PDF). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  10. ^ Katz, Joeli (20 Aug 2014). "LGBT historical items celebrated at the Smithsonian". GLAAD. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  11. ^ Kutner, Max. "A Proud Day at American History Museum as LGBT Artifacts Enter the Collections". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Queerty Pride50 2019 Honorees". Queerty. Archived from the original on 2019-08-26. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  13. ^ Helms, Monica F. (19 March 2019). More than just a flag. MB Books. ISBN 9780578465869. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  14. ^ "More Than Just a Flag". hannahmcknight.org. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
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