Guggenheim Fellowships Celebrate the Art and Diversity Trump Attacks
Among the scholars and artists are – surprise! – the trans and nonbinary people whom the president wants to erase.
by Pax Ahimsa Gethen
As a longtime editor of Wikipedia, one of the tasks I’ve taken on is posting the annual list of Guggenheim Fellows. For 100 years, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded fellowships to “exceptional individuals” working in the creative arts, humanities, natural and social sciences.
I first became interested in this fellowship in 2022, when an acquaintance, Michael Gene Sullivan, won for his work in theater (acting, writing, and directing). As his work with the San Francisco Mime Troupe in particular was considered fairly radical even before the first Trump administration, I was glad to see him (a Black cis man and LGBTQ ally) recognized with a prestigious award.
I’ve created the Wikipedia page for each year’s class of Guggenheim Fellows ever since. Their work has never seemed more important as President Trump is trying to silence free expression, and their ranks reflect the gender and racial diversity he has sought to erase.
The 100th anniversary class of 2025, announced last month, comprises 198 artists and scholars across 53 disciplines. As I painstakingly copied over the nearly 200 names, I also checked to see which of these fellows already had Wikipedia articles, so I could link to them from the list page.
Since I specialize in trans subjects, I began exploring how many awardees might be openly trans or nonbinary, in case their Wikipedia articles needed improvement (or creation). I found several such fellows, primarily in creative arts fields. Here are a few from recent award years:
Martine (2025)
Martine Gutierrez, also known as simply Martine, is a photographer, visual and performance artist. A nonbinary transfeminine artist of Guatemalan descent, her work explores and subverts expressions of identity. Martine is also in the main cast of the 2024 HBO series, Fantasmas.
Angelo Madsen (2022)
Angelo Madsen is a filmmaker and multi-disciplinary artist. A transmasculine artist, his work explores human relationships and subcultures. Madsen is an associate professor of time-based media at the University of Vermont. (He also happened to get his MFA at my alma mater, Northwestern University.)
Yance Ford (2019)
Yance Ford is a film director and producer. A Black trans man, Ford was the first openly trans filmmaker to be nominated for an Oscar, for the 2017 documentary Strong Island. For the same work, he was also the first openly trans Black person to win an Emmy Award.
Cassils (2017)
Cassils is a visual and performance artist. A nonbinary transmasculine bodybuilder, they use their own body as part of their dynamic live performances.
At a time when the Trump administration is attempting to eradicate DEI and silence free expression at universities, colleges, and art spaces, support from organizations like the Guggenheim Foundation is more crucial than ever. In this “post-truth” society that is careening toward outright fascism, every single discipline that these fellows represent is under threat. Let us celebrate the joy and necessity of art and scholarship while we still can.
Pax Ahimsa Gethen (they/them) is a queer agender writer, editor, and curator. They live in San Francisco with their spouse Ziggy.