Monica Helms, the Navy veteran who created the transgender pride flag, says she’s preparing to leave the United States with her wife, Darlene Wagner, because of intensifying anti-LBGTQ laws and threats. The couple, who live in Georgia, launched a GoFundMe earlier this year to fund their move abroad. Helms told the Bay Area Reporter, “We are worried there’s a possibility something could happen where we end up getting arrested just for being who we are.”
Georgia has also been labeled a “high risk” state for transgender people by Erin in the Morning’s latest assessment. Since 2023, lawmakers there have introduced nearly three dozen anti-trans bills, four of which passed—including bans on gender-affirming care for minors and restrictions on trans girls in school sports. Helms is far from alone. A May poll from the Williams Institute found nearly half of trans adults have considered relocating—either to another state or another country.
NBC has documented families fleeing to places like Australia and New Zealand, while earlier this year, a 22-year-old trans woman from Arizona filed for asylum in Canada. Despite leaving, Helms says her fight will continue. She wrote on GoFundMe, “We will not abandon our activism.” Her iconic pink, white, and blue flag, designed in 1999, remains free for all to use. She says, “No matter how you fly it, it’s always correct. Which signifies finding correctness in our own lives.”
