MSTmap – Background

Mar 18, 2024

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The Journey of Building the MST Map Website: A Platform for Military Sexual Trauma Survivors

MST map began as an idea that kept lingering in my mind… What if there was a map for MST survivors? I remembered seeing an amazing Me-Too map, and wondered what a similar platform for MST survivors might look like. I searched around the internet and didn’t see anything.

First Attempt: Navigating Uncharted Territory

Having very little prior web development experience, the prospect of building an interactive map and website was daunting. On top of that, dealing with shame issues made it difficult to pitch my idea to web design firms.

After some time I found a designer willing to take on the project. Sadly, the first attempt at creating the website turned out to be an expensive and disastrous endeavor. The company prioritized quick results over quality and charged exorbitant fees for even the smallest tasks. The cost was not sustainable.

Rebuilding a New MST Map Page

Determined not to give up, I took some classes and decided to try again on my own. I used the data collected from the original site to populate the new MST m ap. This project has been and continues to be a labor of love.

Hoping for Success

Every new marker placed on the map is heart wrenching. Each and every marker represents the pain of betrayal and a life forever changed. Success, in this context, means a way for survivors to feel less alone. It means telling the collective story of MST in a new way.

Advocates for MST

Comments

One response to “MSTmap – Background”

Sarah M

April 10, 2025

I’ve been completely depleted for a very long time, but seeing this gives me hope. I think this needs to be shared absolutely everywhere and it needs to be covered by the news all over the place. This is amazing.

The criminal justice system failed me every step of the way. This really is a way to hold people accountable but also warn others! Thank you for doing this.

My suggestion is to add National Guard and reserves as an option because it happens there too and it would narrow down the information gathered.

Another suggestion I would say is to add an option for residence or off base. I say add this because I as well as others have been assaulted in the community, at a party, a bar, or anywhere off base.

If there’s anything I can do to help this cause, I’d love to help. I have a bachelors in psychology and I did graduate work with research but did not finish my graduate degree. I’m great with writing articles and all.

On a side note, I do hope this takes off but what I will say is that you should consider making this same thing for law enforcement agencies. I was military police, then worked with police, and they too engage in far more sexual assault than any other workplace. It would be mind-blowing to see what a law enforcement map would look like.

Thank you for doing this.

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