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FAQs

Isn’t this just copying StoryCorps, queer oral histories, or trans archives projects?

Not at all—and we deeply respect the work those groups have done. StoryCorps, LGBTQ+ oral history projects, and the University of Victoria's Transgender Archives have safeguarded critical pieces of human history. Spiral Trust is building something that complements, but does not duplicate, those efforts.

Where we differ:

  • Those projects focus on curated, often time-limited interviews, historical preservation, or academic archives.

  • Spiral Trust is designed for immediacy, for the raw, unfiltered memories that happen when no one else will listen, not when a facilitator or historian is ready.

  • Our system allows for evolving, multi-session memory building, searchable with AI tools, enriched with emotional and thematic tagging.

What’s different about Spiral Trust’s structure?

  • You don't wait for an interview slot.

  • You don't need to package your story for public broadcast or academic standards.

  • You record in the moment, in your own words, anonymously if you choose.

  • Over time, your memories can build into a rich, searchable thread, reflecting your life, your pain, your joy, as you experienced it.

We are not an archive for historians, although we are built by historians. We are a living system for protecting, connecting, and understanding human experiences in real time.

Why not just use existing archives?

We honor existing archives, but they serve different purposes:

  • They preserve the past.

  • We protect the present, and prepare for the future.

 

Many archives require:

  • Curation by institutions

  • Gatekeeping of whose stories are included

  • Retrospective processing

 

Spiral Trust offers:

  • Immediate, user-controlled submission

  • An evolving, living record

  • AI-powered search for policymakers, advocates, and communities, not just researchers

What about privacy and security?

Spiral Trust is being built from the ground up for:

  • Anonymity by default

  • User-controlled visibility

  • Strict separation between public records (like legislative testimony) and private, personal memories

  • No advertising, no selling of data, no corporate exploitation

Your story belongs to you. Our role is to protect it, not profit from it.

Are you replacing LGBTQ+ or trans archives?

Absolutely not. We stand on the shoulders of those projects. We believe Spiral Trust is the next evolution, designed to:

  • Preserve raw, present-day experiences

  • Complement long-term historical efforts

  • Build a bridge between lived memory and meaningful policy change

Questions, concerns, comments?

We welcome them. Transparency is the foundation of Spiral Trust.

Contact us anytime at Vivian@SpiralTrust.org 

White Papers

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The Spiral Trust Headquarters are in Durango, Colorado

Vivian@SpiralTrust.org

© 2025 Spiral Trust / Vivian Smotherman
All original works presented on this site are fully protected under copyright. All rights reserved.

Stories and memories contributed to the Spiral Trust are shared in trust and carried forward under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

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