The Stonewall National Museum, a leading LGBTQ+ museum and archive in Florida, is worried for its future after being effectively cut off from state, federal and corporate funding due to anti-LGBTQ+ policies. The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library, which collects, preserves and shares the
The Stonewall National Museum, a leading LGBTQ+ museum and archive in Florida, is worried for its future after being effectively cut off from state, federal and corporate funding due to anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library, which collects, preserves and shares the history and culture of LGBTQ+ communities, has been operating for more than 50 years.
Robert Kesten, CEO of the museum, which estimates that more than half of its $1 million operating budget is now at risk, said government policies targeting the LGBTQ+ community and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes have discouraged corporate donors.
“This is stretching into places that we really have not seen before,” Kesten said. “Our future is threatened now.”
The museum’s annual gala fundraiser, which is on Saturday, March 1, has only one corporate sponsor, compared with six to 10 in previous years, according to the Miami Herald.
Some prospective board members now hesitate to join the nonprofit because they need approval from their employers, Kesten added.
Kesten says the museum will continue its mission of protecting, defending and sharing the resources in its archive and library because there’s “never been a more important time to know your history.”
He encourages members of the community to donate to the museum if they can.
“We will be stronger and better than we were before. One way or another, we will be here.”
