Mary Bonauto of Gay & Lesbian
Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) on Wednesday was named one of the
2014 recipients of MacArthur Foundation “genius grants,” which
acknowledges the nation's most talented and accomplished artists,
scholars and professionals.
“This award is a testament to the
justice-seeking work of innumerable people all across the nation,”
Bonauto said in a statement. “I deeply appreciate the Foundation's
vote of confidence in our movement's work as we strive to remove
barriers to LGBT people's full participation in society. So many
have given so much to bring us to this point – whether our
courageous plaintiffs or people whose names history may never know –
and every bit of it has mattered. This honor is an investment in a
better future for all.”
Bonauto is widely recognized as an
architect of the marriage equality movement, working on lawsuits that
led to the nation's first civil union law in Vermont and the nation's
first marriage equality law in Massachusetts.
Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to
Marry, said he was thrilled to see his colleague recognized with such
a prestigious honor.
“Mary Bonauto is a giant in the
campaign to win the freedom to marry, universally acclaimed for
winning momentous cases across the range of lesbian and gay civil
rights concerns, for spearheading the litigation strategy that
effectively brought down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and
for exceptionally high standards as a practitioner and partner,”
Wolfson said in a statement. “And Mary’s brilliance and
accomplishments are not confined to the courtroom; she has been a key
shaper of the message and strategies that have helped us build
political and public support alongside the legal progress. Mary and
I have worked hand in glove for (gasp!) 25 years now, strategizing
together and assisting and playing off each other in all aspects of
the work, and I am thrilled to see her duly recognized today as the
American hero she has always been.”
Each of the 21
fellows announced Wednesday will receive $625,000 over the next
five years to spend as they like from the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation.