Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes

Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes is a Professor at the University of Michigan, holding affiliations in the Department of Romance Languages & Literatures (Spanish), Department of American Culture, and Latina/o Studies Program. His research focuses on queer and transgender studies, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caribbean cultures, and performance studies. He is the author of Translocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance (winner of the Sylvia Rivera Award) and Queer Ricans: Cultures and Sexualities in the Diaspora. He serves on committees for the Modern Language Association and CUNY’s Center for LGBTQ Studies.

Education: Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Columbia University (1999). Courses taught include 'Drag in America,' 'Queer/Cuir Americas,' and 'Gender and Sexuality in Latin America.'

Research explores drag performance’s intersection with migration, anti-Black racism, and diaspora, emphasizing artists like Sylvia Rivera and Kevin Fret. His recent work analyzes contemporary Puerto Rican performance and feminist hip-hop culture. Awards include the University of Michigan Press Book Award (2023) and honors from the Puerto Rican Studies Association.

Professional affiliations include the Latin American Studies Association (former Sexualities Studies Section chair), Caribbean Studies Association, and the American Studies Association. Current projects include a book on contemporary Puerto Rican performance and analyses of transloca artists like Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya.

Lab/Team: Active in interdisciplinary collaborations, including the Latina/o Studies Program and transnational LGBTQ+ studies networks.