Genius Grants: Meet the LGBTQ MacArthur Fellows of 2018

The MacArthur Foundation has announced its 2018 MacArthur Fellows, several of whom either identify as LGBTQ or are doing groundbreaking work on LGBTQ issues. The MacArthur Fellowship is often referred to as a “Genius Grant.”

For those who are unfamiliar with the program, the MacArthur Foundation rewards no-strings-attached funding, which is meant to encourage the Fellows to continue to innovate, take risks and pursue their visions. Fellows are chosen for their innovation and creativity in their respective crafts and potential to make important contributions to our communities and society. This year’s fellows will be awarded $625,000.

In the program’s more-than-30-year history, the MacArthur Foundation has named over 900 Fellows. Among them are dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharpe, author and essayist Susan Sontag, lawyer and civil rights advocate Marian Wright Edelman and Hamilton creator (and Mary Poppins Returns star) Lin-Manuel Miranda. Some of the 2018 MacArthur fellows who may be of particular interest to the LGBTQ community are:

• Natialie Diaz is a poet that draws on her experience as a Mojave American and queer woman of color to examine the mythological and cultural touchstones underlying American society
• John Keene is a writer who attempts to re-envisioning the history of the Americas from the perspective of suppressed voices, in particular those of black and queer characters
• Epidemiologist and global health advocate Gregg Gonsalves is working to correct disparities in global public health responses and has been an activist with organizations ACT UP and the Treatment Action Group.
• Psychologist Kristina Olson is advancing the scientific understanding of gender – in particular the social and cognitive development of transgender and gender-nonconforming youth.
• Wu Tsang is a filmmaker and performance artist working to create new conceptual vocabulary for navigating discussions of gender and race.

Metrosource congratulates these extraordinary individuals along with all 25 of the 2018 MacArthur fellows.