Monica Helms (she/her)
Creator of the Trans Pride Flag & Co-Founder, Transgender Americans Veterans Association 

Monica Helms is a transgender activist, veteran, and creator of the trans pride flag. Monica served as a nuclear submarine machinist mate in the U.S. Navy, and later helped found the Transgender Americans Veterans Association (TAVA). In 2004, she was selected as Georgia’s first transgender delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Monica created the trans flag in 1999. Her simple, powerful design has become a worldwide symbol of belonging for millions of trans people. The original flag is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum. 

Photographed by Robin Rayne, Spring 2022
Monica Helms is pictured in her home workshop in Marietta, Georgia. 

Julie Rhoad (she/her)
Former President & CEO, Names Project & AIDS Memorial Quilt 

Now a senior director at MASS Design Group, Julie Rhoad is the former president and CEO of the NAMES Project Foundation, which serves as caretaker of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, an ever-evolving memorial to lives lost to HIV/AIDS. Julie led the Foundation during its tenure in Atlanta, connecting Southeastern communities with The Quilt’s powerful stories of love and remembrance. She secured the long-term preservation of the AIDS Quilt by establishing the Library of Congress and the National AIDS Memorial as the permanent homes for the memorial and its priceless archival material.

Photographed by Alex Pirtle, Summer 2022
Julie Rhoad is pictured in front of segments of the AIDS Quilt at the Atlanta History Center. 

Mary Anne Adams
Founder & Executive Director, Zami Nobla

Mary Anne Adams is founder and executive director of ZAMI NOBLA: National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging. She founded the Audre Lorde Scholarship Fund, which awards funding to LGBTQ scholars of color. A sixteen-year breast cancer survivor, Mary Anne is an advisory board member at Emory University Winship Cancer Institute. She serves on the Atlanta Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, the Wharton Lab RISE Advisory Board, and is a Commissioner and Board Chair of the East Point Housing Authority. 

Photographed by Marilyn Ocasio Nieves, Summer 2022
Mary Anne Adams is pictured in her home in East Point, Atlanta.  

Charlie Brown (he/him)
Owner & Resident Artist, Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium 

Charlie Brown helped put Atlanta on the map as an international drag mecca. Arriving on the scene in 1978, Charlie became a mainstay at legendary Atlanta clubs like the Sweet Gum Head and Hoedowns. His own performance revue, Charlie Brown’s Cabaret, was a primetime attraction at the nightclub Backstreet for 15 years; the show was featured in the HBO documentary “Dragtime.” Married to his husband Fred for nearly 50 years, Charlie still performs throughout the city. He’s currently writing a memoir about his life, which he says is also a love letter to Atlanta.

Photographed by Just Toby, Summer 2022
Charlie Brown is pictured at his home in Atlanta. 

GRANT HENRY (she/her) 
Owner & Resident Artist, Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium 
 
As the proprietor of “Church,” Grant Henry welcomes people of all identities to this beloved fixture of Atlanta nightlife. With locations in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, Grant’s bar features whimsical, irreverent art and events like organ karaoke and Sunday Service dance parties. Sister Louisa is Grant’s artistic persona, reflecting stops in his life journey – divinity school, the world of art, and community host.  
 
Photographed by Jody Fausett, Fall 2021 
Grant Henry is pictured in “Church” Bar in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta.