Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories.

This week, People’s District is telling five stories from D.C.’s LGBT community in honor of Capital Pride. These stories were collected in collaboration with the Rainbow History Project. Read more stories from: Daaiyee, a gay Imam; Annie, a DJ who uses music to unite the LGBT community; and Dan, an Indian immigrant who only learned about homosexuality after moving to the states.

“I have always felt like a woman. I can remember the times when my father would buy me baseballs, footballs, and all of these manly things as a child, but I would always just play with my sisters dolls and dress in their clothes. That was what made me comfortable. I never thought that anything was wrong with it because I felt that I was supposed to be a woman. While I was comfortable with it, my parents struggled with it at first. It was hard on my them, but my mother sheltered me and let me know it was okay.

“People used to ask me why I chose that life, as if it were a choice. People would tell me, ‘You could have been a gay man and been more successful in life.’ My issue is that I am not a man. I have always felt comfortable in my current shell as a woman. I learned to be proud and comfortable from my mentor, Tina Teasley. She was a few years older than me and was instrumental in my life and my transition. Tina was an amazing role model and showed me that you could be transgender and successful.

“Thanks, in part, to her, I started taking hormones at 17 and then got my breasts. After that, it was all about being a woman at all costs. I would save my money for the operations and back then, all of us girls, would go to the same doctor in NE. Now that I am older, I like to say that I live a normal life. This is me.

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“I feel fortunate that I did not go through a lot of the struggles that many in the transgender community have gone through in this city. I had a job and health care and could take care of myself. Of course, I had a lot of other difficulties in my life, but I overcame them. As I started to hear about the serious issues facing the transgender community in DC, I thought, girl, what is going on with this city. I was so out of it, doing my own thing and living my own life that I forgot about the other people like myself who were not as fortunate.

“In 2003, I got involved and helped to start Transgender Health Empowerment. We got a small grant from the city and grew from there. We wanted to make sure that people knew about the ‘T’ in LGBT. We worked hard to get us a seat at the table with the LGBT community and the city. I look back and think that it is so remarkable how much we have grown. We have really made waves, in a positive way. It was not all peaches and cream, but we have made progress in terms of getting the transgender population access to healthcare and giving them a seat at the table. Still, there are some barriers to education, housing, and employment in order for us to get where we need to be.

“After working full-time on my job, working to grow Transgender Health Empowerment, and being involved on committees for the city, I made a decision to step down as Chairman of the Board of Directors in September of last year. Transgender Health Empowerment had grown to the point where I felt comfortable moving and shifting priorities. I had spent so much time with Transgender Health Empowerment that I needed to focus on myself and figure out what I was going to do with my life. With all of my work, I forgot about myself.

“Now, I want to travel, enjoy life, and be open to what comes my way. My next cause may be more transgender empowerment, but it could also not be an LGBT issue. I just know that one day I am going to get a call from someone who needs help and wants to get something moving. I am the kind of person who can’t say not to that.”

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“Sometimes I feel like I am paying for the sins of my youth now with HIV, being on dialysis and waiting for a kidney. As a child, I was adopted by my adopted mother, a cleaning lady who worked for rich white people, and my adopted father who worked for People’s Drug Store. My birth mother in South Carolina refused to sign the set of papers for my adoption, so my parents had to bribe her with a set of clothes. Can you imagine, my birth mother gave me up for a set of clothes? I didn’t learn that I was adopted until I was eight when a neighbor told my teacher. My mother was so pissed when she found out, and she sat down and told me the story.

“When I heard the news, I felt uncomfortable with it. I developed this feeling that someone did not want me. That feeling fueled my rebellious stage. I started telling my mother that she was not my real mother and started hanging out with the kids on the corner. I can only imagine the pain I inflicted from those statements and my lifestyle.

“In middle school, I learned about shooting drugs, prostitution, and hustling. On the street, people tell you how it goes. We learned to get the drunks on the corner to buy us wine. I learned about sex from the older men in my neighborhood. The whores taught me how to hustle, steal wallets, and look fabulous. I used to hustle by the bus station with these two little white boys. We would be out there in jeans a t-shirts and go get our work done at the hotel across the street. I just loved the thrill of being a whore. It was so exciting and empowering.

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“One day, I remember seeing my first drag queen. She took a man away and then came back with $20 in her hands. I decided that I was going to go out in drag. I loved getting dressed up, but it was rough. I got beat up a lot and ended up with a million sexual solicitation, or pussy charges. One time, I even solicited a vice squad guy. When he showed his badge, I jumped out and ran. They had helicopters and lights going after me. When they caught me, the officer said, I was the faggot who pulled a gun on him. That got me some time, and jail is a horrible place.

“In jail, though, I was referred to Second Genesis, which is a drug rehab program. They helped me to turn things around and got me a job working in salons. Within weeks of my first job, I was the head shampoo guy and they gave me the keys to the shop. I have had a wonderful and successful career as a stylist and make-up artist. I have traveled the world, been on boards, and brought beauty to so many communities. I have also struggled with returning to my drug of choice, intravenous drugs, but I have been clean for some time and continue to work as a stylist and community leader.

“My problem is that now, it is harder for me to stand up and do things because I have so many strikes against me. I have a record. I have HIV. I have kidney failure and spend my days at the dialysis clinic. But, I am comfortable with who I am. I don’t try and deny my past because to deny that is to deny who I am. I am the face of the shame and stigma that so many people have around HIV.

“Back when I was diagnosed in 1987, it was terrible. I hated going to the dentist because they showed no mercy on me. They covered everything in plastic and didn’t make me feel human. When I had hepatitis and was in the hospital, the nurses would leave my food tray on the floor and make me walk over and get it. It was such an insult. Eventually, some gay nurses befriended me and brought the trays to my bed.

“The thing is that with this disease, you don’t have time for emotions when you are trying to save your life. Now, HIV is the least of my problems. With all of these new drugs, you can live a long life, but the drugs also cause problems like kidney failure and high cholesterol. So, I wait here for a kidney, but I am hopeful.

“So, that’s it. Those are my life lessons from an old whore. Did you get enough or do you want to hear the long version?”

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“As parents, my partner and I were looking for a different kind of educational experience in this city for our kids. It saddens me to see that the trends in education are away from the concept that learning can be great fun and towards solely the acquisition of knowledge. I think that learning should be fun. When you do that for kids, they will want to continue to learn as they grow up.

“While there are lots of strong schools in D.C., we wanted a place with project based learning that related to the real world. Before Two Rivers, there was only one other school in D.C. doing that, Capital City Public Charter School, which was not in this neighborhood.

“We organized a grass-roots effort with other parents to open this school. As they say, it really does take a village. There were a large number of people who gathered and volunteered their time and resources to get this started. It took a lot of time and effort, but we worked together to create this place out of love seven years ago.

“For me, it is a dream come true to be able to help found and run a school that has as its critical components, all the things that I care most about. I have always felt that it is important that kids learn more than just the nuts and bolts. For example, we live in an amazing city and part of our job at the school is to take advantage of those resources when teaching our kids.

“One of my favorite parts of what I do is standing at the door in the morning with the other administrators to greet the kids. It’s important for me because it reminds me of why we are here – to connect with these amazing kids. We want kids to be excited about learning and realize how fun it can be.”

Jessica Wodatch is the Executive Director of Two Rivers Public Charter School.

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“D.C. was great when I was growing up, but this ain’t no place to raise children any more. Now that I got two kids, there isn’t too much that I like about D.C. I really want to get out of here. Don’t much mind where I go, as long as it is not here. I am being for real.

“I was raised uptown in D.C. and then moved to Maryland. I liked it there for my kids because it was safe and quiet, but I be going crazy with nothing to do. I recently got an apartment in Southeast. I really didn’t want to move there, but an apartment came through the city where I would be able to live on my own with my two kids.

“I tell you, Southeast ain’t nothing but corruption. I don’t want to live or raise my children here. It’s like every time my son gets up out of the house, he gets into it with somebody. And my son is only four years old. My daughter is one and too young to deal with all of this. What is wrong with these parents where my son can’t just go outside and play? These parents ain’t raising their kids right.

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“See, I teach my children discipline. My son knows what’s right and what’s wrong. You can see a difference in how I raise my child and how they do. But we all got to suffer from these parents who don’t care. That just ain’t right. So, I got to shield my child and keep him in the house or bring him to Northwest when he wants to go to the playground. But now that it is getting warm outside, it is going to get too hot to be in the house all of the time. When he does go out, I keep him close where I can watch him.

“I want my kids to be successful. I want them to stay in school and go to college. That is why I am trying to get them away from Southeast. Most of them other kids, I can tell, aren’t going to get too far. As for me, I am 26 and starting college. I want to be a nurse and get out of this city.”

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“I came to this country as a young man almost 50 years ago. When I came here, I knew nothing and had nothing. I arrived in Washington with 35 cents and didn’t speak any English. I had a job waiting for me at the Turkish Embassy, but didn’t have enough money to pay for the taxi ride from the bus station to the embassy. The doorman at the Turkish Embassy paid it for me. I remember it was 95 cents and I eventually paid him back.

“After some time at the job, I started to make some money and learned the language. In my early days here, I met this girl who invited me on a date to go and see The Beatles play at the Uline Arena. I knew about The Beatles from Turkey, but just thought they were weird and had long, shaggy hair. We went to the concert, and remember, I couldn’t speak English, so this girl took my hand and let me around like a child.

“When The Beatles got on stage, the place went berserk. I never saw so many crazy people in my life. You couldn’t hear anything because of all of the screaming. All of those girls must have lost their voices during the show. The whole time, I am thinking, all of this for some weird guys with long hair?

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“I realize that those kids from Liverpool really gave a gift to the world by changing music. They not only created a beautiful gift in music, but they gave a gift of opportunity to people. To me, the most precious, wonderful thing that I learned from The Beatles is that the greatest gift you can give, is to let someone benefit from following your passion.

“For me, I have tried to do that with my different businesses by giving people work and opportunity. I did that when I ran my house painting business, and I do that now at my restaurant, the Perfect Pita.”

Atilla just opened his 12th Perfect Pita restaurant at 1200 1st St NE.

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“Like many people, I came here because of the federal government. I am from San Diego, and moved here ten years ago to work as an auditor for the Department of Labor. The city really is everything I thought it would be. It’s eclectic, full of history, and there is lots to do. I wasn’t sure how long I would stay when I first got here, but this place is definitely home now.

“I think that a big part of why it feels like home is because I bought a house a couple of months back and I also got Maggie, my baby girl. I never had a dog before, but always wanted a miniature dachshund. Maggie is even better than I could have ever imagined! I come home from work and it is so nice to have a warm body waiting for me who is always happy. And, she’s even come to take on my personality. She is very laid back….and she doesn’t bark!

“I see how much different things are for me now that I have a dog. Day-to-day, we, as citizens, don’t really speak to each other much. Having Maggie changes that for me. A dog invites people to engage and say, ‘hi’. People always stop me to ask my dog’s name and if they can pet her. Before Maggie, I fell into the category of keeping my head down and handing my business. I didn’t really talk to strangers if I had no reason. Now, that I have a dog, I find that I am more open to conversation. I notice dogs and people more, and am always inquiring about different tips and treats, and a plethora of other topics.

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“I think that dogs are so important to community because, to a certain degree, most people are animal lovers. To see a baby animal, regardless of what it is, is very intriguing to most people. Now, I don’t think that all people should walk around with pets as a way to make this city feel more like a community – it is never a good idea to let people have everything – but I think that having Maggie has really impacted my view of this city for the better.”

Want to suggest someone for People’s District to interview? Nominate his or her story here.

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“Man, everything done changes. Don’t matter if you are talking about neighborhoods or hair, ain’t nothing stays the same. I have been in the game of cutting hair for 2o plus years. I done seen the Caesar, the pompadour, the jheri curl, the S curl, the fade, the bald look, and now, the dread locks. In the neighborhood, I done seen things change from the hood to high living. Everything changes. Things come and go. I can get into most things, but no matter what happens, you will never find me in no skinny jeans!

“At the barber shop. I keep up with the style by taking things one day at a time. I look at different trends and get ready for what’s coming. Here, we don’t discriminate. If you got something, we’ll cut it. Don’t matter if it is hair, finger nails, or toe nails! My father and uncle were the same way. My father spent 30 years in the game. My uncle got 45 years in the game. They started cutting hair on T Street and then moved to 13th and Florida. Now, we are on 12th and V. Spott’s got 40 plus years in the game of cutting hair.

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“I got into this when I was young. I went to Bladensburg Barber School up in Maryland. I can remember the first person’s hair I cut. But wow, I don’t even want to talk about that right now. That’s how bad it was! I mean, we was in school at the time. We didn’t have much skills, so they was taking a chance on us, just like we was taking a chance on them. They gave us $5 for a cut and they were our human guinea pigs. It was a learning experience, though, and I have gotten much better over the years. Now, I can laugh at my trials and tribulations.

“Everything I did from then on, I am proud of. No one can be perfect because every head is different. But, I do my best. I even think about how I can do my best to change up my look. After ten years, I am thinking of getting rid of my dreads. Now, I want to go bald….like Kojak bald…like Michael Jordan bald.

“So, come on down to the barbershop. We will talk about the hot topics of the day and make you look nice. For sure, you are gonna get some conversation up in here about what is going on. Now, we are talking about Japan, the tsunami, and how Vincent Gray is twisted up right now. Come in and talk about your girl and your problems at home. When you leave, you leave the shit behind. I promise, this shit is better than the psychiatrist.

“Let me just say that we been around for forty plus years and I got at least another fifty years of cutting hair in me. So, while things change, we plan to stay right here. Make sure to come back and interview us again in five or ten years. We gonna be here.”

Spott’s Barbershop is at 1117 V St. NW.

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“You all need to know school really is, and why kids be dropping out and stuff. People need to know that because them grown-ups don’t get it. They just be like, ‘You should go to school and be somebody.’ Come on now, it is not that simple. If you are put in a place that is not a learning environments, why should you learn anything? You just gonna follow the click. Just because you call it a school don’t mean that people be learning, especially when most of the teachers don’t believe in their students.

“I do my work and all, but school is boring. I used to go to a charter school, and they took us on field trips and gave us activities. People had school spirit and cared about something. Now, I go to public school and we got none of that. I try to do my best, but I be seeing people drop out everyday because they stop caring. They think that school is boring and it don’t prepare them for nothing. They probably right.

“Even if people here don’t be believing in us, my mother and my brothers believe in me. They don’t want me to be no bum. They are encouraging me to graduate and be the best that I can be. I want to go to college and study journalism. I like to write, but it gotta be about something interesting. I want to tell the stories that people actually want to know about in this city. There are a lot of crazy things that happen here. Just look at the schools. I want people to know that we have no diversity in our schools. I spend my life around black people. The only caucasian people I know are teachers. I wish that would change. I want to get on TV and tell stories that will help change our schools and stop all them kids from dropping out.”

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

SpeakeasyDC and Danny will be hosting a DC storytelling night on stage at Town next week. The event will be March 8, at 8pm at Town. Tickets are $10. Details are here.

“I’ve been fixing cars since before most of you were born. I started in Jamaica, where I was born, and have been doing it for the forty years I’ve been living in Washington. I started fixing police cars over at Northeast Ford on West Virginia Avenue. After nine years there, I left to open my own business. My first shop was on 14th and Belmont, and then I moved to Georgia Avenue.

“A ways back, I returned to Northeast. Now, they call me the Mayor of Congress Street. I have been working as a mechanic here for a long time….and I mean a long time…..like 27 years long time. I can tell you everything about everything here. When I first got here, there was nothing around here and the place was rough and tough. I knew that one of these days, it was going to get better. It did.

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“As the neighborhood changes, I get a lot of new customers. Most people find me through word of mouth. I can fix any car out there. If it has four wheels, I can take it apart and put it back together. Now, I work by myself because it is hard to find people with my work ethic. People don’t want to work no more.

“See, I am a very picky person. If you can’t work how I work, you can’t work here. I don’t like customers coming back or needing to recheck things. Once a car goes out of my shop, it stays out because I fix the problem.

“I don’t mind working by myself because I listen to my Christian music. See, I am a man of faith, so I never feel alone when the father is here guiding me.”

Tony’s Auto Repair is located at 1116 Congress Street NE.

Danny Harris is a DC-based photographer, DJ, and collector of stories. He launched People’s District, a blog that tells a people’s history of DC by sharing the stories and images of its residents. You can follow People’s District on Twitter @PeoplesDistrict, and can read his previous columns here.

“Until moving to the states, I never really thought much about my accent. I was born in Liverpool and raised in Bangalore. To me, it is just a typical convent-educated, urban Indian accent. It is the accent of my sisters and all of my friends.

“Here, a lot of people can’t quite place me because of my accent. A lot of people have told me their mental image of me before we met is tall with long hair and white. I have had times when I go out to meet someone for an interview, and we have trouble connecting because they are looking out for someone else. Now, I just tell people, I am short, brown, and have a nose ring. It’s funny, I was meeting a cop once and described myself, and he said, ‘Great, I am six foot four, in uniform, and I carry a gun.’ We joked that we would have no trouble finding each other.

“Before going into radio, my plan was to do television. I did my master’s degree in communications in India and then did a second degree in broadcast journalism at Urbana-Champaign. While in school there, I interned for a TV station and they let me do everything, but wouldn’t let me get on the air. They said that people wouldn’t understand my accent and the ratings would drop. The station encouraged me to learn an American accent if I wanted to get on television. I thought about it a long time, but I knew that people would eventually realize that who I really am was not matching my American accent. I felt like they wouldn’t trust what I was saying, and trust is the most important thing in this line of work.

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“I made a decision to go into radio, which was new for me because we don’t have public radio in India. I got my start in Springfield, Illinois, and then moved to Washington almost three years ago. Working as a journalist in this country, I have come to realize how nuanced this place is.

“Because I have no grown up here, I am constantly asking questions about everything. Sometimes, those questions are about language and how English is used differently in America and India. Sometimes, the questions are about how things work here. Sometimes, those questions are about the bag tax and Michelle Rhee. In asking these questions, it gives me a really broad view of this place, and let’s me see things that some here don’t see because they may be so used to seeing things a certain way.

“I feel like I learn more about myself in this profession than in any other profession out there. Everyday, I meet someone new and match what they say with what I believe. It forces me to always think about every angle of an issue and take a very nuanced approach to things.”

Kavitha Cardoza is a senior reporter for WAMU 88.5.