1. Monica F Helms was born on 8 March 1951 and is an American transgender activist, author, and veteran of the United States Navy.
10 Facts About Monica Helms
1. 2.
Monica Helms was reassigned to the San Francisco area in 1976, and said she "felt like [she] could be out in public as [herself]".
3.
Monica Helms left the Navy in 1978, and joined her hometown's chapter of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc in 1996.
4.
Monica Helms eventually prevailed after a few months and is the first trans woman to ever join the organization.
5.
Monica Helms created a transgender pride flag in 1999, and it was first flown at a Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000.
6.
Monica Helms founded the Transgender American Veterans Association in 2003, and remained president until 2013.
7.
Monica Helms was elected as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.
8.
Monica Helms was the first openly trans person elected to a DNC Convention from Georgia.
9.
Monica 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.
In 2019, Monica 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.