51 Years of Queer History: Florida's Stonewall National Museum Celebrates Decades of Community Activism and Culture

The 1969 Stonewall Riots were the lynchpin for the LGBTQIA+ community. The uprising kickstarted the modern Gay Liberation Movement, which led to the formation of groups such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance, as well as the earliest Pride events (including commemorations for Stonewall).

In 1973, a 17-year-old, Mark N. Silber, founded the Stonewall Library, dedicating itself to protecting LGBTQIA+ history and culture. The organization, to realize its mission and serve the community, grew into the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library in Fort Lauderdale, providing a safe space for members of the community, as well as being an advocate for education, understanding, and acceptance. SNMAL has arguably the largest nationally collecting archives of LGBTQIA+ materials, and the world's largest community lending library. Accessibility to knowledge and stories of the past wrapped in the collections currently being amassed is key to Stonewall's values, and to this day the Museum's exhibits are free to access for visitors looking to learn and research.

In addition to Stonewall's incredible archive, the museum holds numerous programs and events focused on lifting LGBTQIA+ voices. Many events are created to bring members of the community together for enjoyable evenings of fun and culture, such as the annual Back to the Drive Celebration and the Stonewall Gala.

"We may still be a bit of hidden treasure," said Executive Director Robert Kesten. "But, the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library is by far one of the oldest organizations using the Stonewall name, now for over 50 consecutive years. We continue to protect and promote the voices of those who came before us. Those stories are our history, and history must be permanently protected for future generations. All of us here are proud of the work the organization and it will not stop with us, if we do our job well."

To learn more about the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library, visit website Stonewall-Museum.org.

More About the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, and Library:

The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is one of the largest LGBTQIA+ libraries and archives in the world. Stonewall has continued to speak out against discriminatory policies against the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as aims to raise funds to protect and educate people across the nation.

The Museum's Executive Director is Robert Kesten, a passionate Human Rights Advocate. Kesten's human rights advocacy has taken many forms, working on the Ghanaian Constitution, coordinating and producing events leading to Ukrainian independence, producing events for the first AIDS day treatment center in the nation, pushing for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ukraine (the first Soviet Republic to do so), challenging book banning, LGBTQIA+ inclusion in schools and navigating anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Kesten has worked on the West Bank during the Intifada and in Egypt and Tunisia during the Arab Spring to establish human rights cities.

The Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library houses millions of pages of records and materials available to the media, drawing direct lines from our nation's history to today.

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: Broward County Florida Cultural Division, Community Foundation of Broward, The Our Fund Foundation, Visit Lauderdale, Floatarama, National Endowment for the Arts, AAR, Seacoast Bank, TD Charitable Foundation, Florida Humanities Council, SEFLIN, Pen America, National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers

MEDIA PARTNERS: HotSpots Magazine / Happening Out Television Network, Queer News Tonight, Edge Media Network, OUTSFL, SkirtSoFlo, OutClique

COMMUNITY PARTNERS: NDN Promotions, Tito's Handmade Vodka, RanD Remodeling