Mapping Equality: The LGBTQ+ Equality Project
Mapping Equality is a data visualization and information design project that explores how geography, policy, and public opinion shape the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people across the United States. Drawing from publicly available national datasets on public policy, youth well-being, economic security, demographics, and public opinion, the project transforms complex data into visual narratives that reveal patterns and relationships often hidden in traditional reports.
Developed during a semester-long sabbatical, the project combines hundreds of data points from organizations such as the Movement Advancement Project, the Williams Institute, Human Rights Campaign, the Trevor Project, and the ACLU to examine how policy and public opinion shape where LGBTQ+ people experience the greatest support and the greatest barriers.
Rather than focusing on a single measure of equality, Mapping Equality synthesizes multiple dimensions of LGBTQ+ life into a series of original visualizations. These include state rankings, policy timelines, demographic maps, regional comparisons, and custom indices examining LGBTQ+ youth climate, legislation, economic disparity, marriage and family rights, and population distribution.
The project asks a simple but important question: What can we learn when we visualize equality?
By revealing patterns that are difficult to recognize in spreadsheets or reports alone, Mapping Equality demonstrates how information design can deepen our understanding of complex social issues and illuminate the relationships between policy, place, and lived experience. The project embraces the idea that data is not only a source of knowledge, but also a powerful medium for visual storytelling.
For more information, visit the project website.
Danielle Currier
Danielle Currier is a graphic designer, educator, and researcher whose work explores how information design and data visualization can make complex social issues more accessible and meaningful. She is a professor of Graphic Design at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Currier received her M.F.A. in Design and Technology from Parsons School of Design and has spent more than two decades combining professional practice with teaching. She is the co-author of No Plastic Sleeves: The Complete Portfolio Guide for Photographers and Designers, now in its third edition. She serves as Chair of the University and College Designers Association (UCDA) AI Task Force, helping to shape conversations around the responsible use of generative AI in design education.
Currier has presented nationally on topics including design education, information design, and generative AI, including presentations at the AAC&U Forum on Digital Innovation and the University and College Designers Association (UCDA) Design Educators Summit.
