Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library

Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library is a welcoming place that inspires understanding by collecting, preserving and sharing the proud culture of LGBTQ+ people of all stories and their significant role in American society. The first national LGBTQ+ museum in the United States, Stonewall has spent more than 50 years building a record of LGBTQ+ life in America, from activism and art to everyday joy, and it operates on a national scale while staying rooted in Fort Lauderdale.

The museum's galleries in Fort Lauderdale host rotating exhibitions and opening receptions. Past shows include {Un}Apologetic: Men's Sports Edition, curated by Julio Capo, Jr., Harvey Abrams and Tom Hooper, which looked at apologies for homophobia from professional athletes and the openly LGBTQ+ athletes and advocates who pushed sports toward inclusion, and an exhibition honoring Edie Windsor, marriage equality and the Supreme Court. Guided tours of the exhibits and archives are offered on select days.

The collections are the heart of the institution. The John C. Graves Library is the largest lending library of LGBTQ+ materials in the United States, with more than 30,000 books, CDs and DVDs organized under the Library of Congress system. It is open to the public for browsing and research, and members may borrow. Stonewall welcomes donations of books by and about LGBTQ+ people, is working to fill gaps in materials by and for BIPOC communities, and shares duplicates as Library Starter Kits that help other organizations open their own LGBTQ+ lending libraries. The Fasana/Graham Archives hold more than 2,700 linear feet of periodicals, personal papers, correspondence, artifacts, textiles and recordings from across the country; the public can tour the archive, and scholars and writers can request research appointments at least a week ahead.

Stonewall's reach extends well beyond South Florida. Traveling exhibitions such as Stonewall Uprising History and Out of the Shadows: A Gay American Timeline are delivered as print-ready panels for libraries, community centers, corporate spaces and festivals. The Stonewall Oral History Collection records community members in their own words, and On the Shoulders of Heroes is a free, growing digital hub of trailblazers, speeches, archival video and the connections between people and movements. The Stonewall National Education Program convenes a symposium.

Community life fills the calendar. Donuts & Conversation meets twice a month, with no registration needed. Stonewall Movie Nights, presented with OUTSFL, screen free each month, and members join the Stonewall Book Club and Stonewall Film Club on Zoom. Author events, the Focus on the Future dinner, the Standing on the Shoulders of Heroes Gala, Stonewall Honors and an annual Stonewall Uprising Reenactment round out the year. The Stonewall National Women's Fund ensures that lesbian, bi, trans and queer women are fully represented across the archives, exhibitions and programs.

There are many ways to take part. Become a member to borrow books and join the clubs, give to the museum or the Women's Fund, donate LGBTQ+ books, or volunteer at the front desk, with library and archives projects, or at the gala and exhibition openings; volunteers 15 and older are welcome. Supporters can also help build Stonewall's planned 40,000-square-foot permanent home.