ABSTRACT
In this chapter I discuss the maps and associated narratives produced during the initial stage of the DC Trans Needs Assessment project. As background for that discussion, I begin with a brief exploration of mainstream maps of Washington, DC as they are generally constructed by commercial companies and through a tourist gaze. These commercialized maps reify Washington, DC as both the hub for national and international politics and devoid of local meanings and histories. In contrast, the maps collected in this project depict DC urban spaces as personal and dynamic, rather than as fixed destinations for consumption. Additionally, participants of this project do not limit the focus of their maps to only one segment or area of DC, as mainstream maps often do. Rather, I explore here the most common features participants included in their maps, which I have grouped within ten primary themes. Finally, I consider how the commonality of certain themes over others reflects material differences between different trans coalitions of persons participating in this project.
