Hanna Garth

Anthropologist Hanna Garth has “always been perplexed and troubled by the fact that inequality, injustice, and discrimination persist and sometimes seem to get worse over time.” Therefore, she examines inequalities in the food system, conducting research in Cuba and Los Angeles on communities that struggle with food scarcity and how that impacts health and wellbeing. An assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, San Diego, Garth teaches courses on food, race, inequality, and social justice. Published in many academic journals, her forthcoming book “Food in Cuba: The Pursuit of a Decent Meal” will be released in early 2020. Outside of the academic realm, “most people that I encounter on an everyday basis assume that I am straight, and have a husband,” Garth tells GO. “I am quick to correct their assumptions, telling them that I identify as queer and my partner identifies as female.” As she describes it, “Coming out is an ongoing process for me,” and taxing as it may be to “always correct heteronormative assumptions,” it is also valuable to the people around her. “Many LGBTQ students have thanked me for being out on campus and shared that I am either the only out queer professor they have had or one of few.” And “with the current political climate, the ability to live a queer life is increasingly in danger and we need to do all that we can to fight against the withering of our rights.” —JDG