Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library

Stonewall museum is attached to library but in a separate wing. Great collection of LGBT books and memorabilia. Informative pride month exhibit and video playing. Books for sale or check out with a library card. Free but donations appreciated.

I was somewhat reluctant to enter this museum thinking it would be a downer. I am glad I went. What struck me was how relatively recently the GLTBQ community has faced adversity (and still does) and how far we have come for basic (not extra) rights. As a younger person who does not think twice about expressing who I am, you realize that just a few decades ago it was so different and you never can take things for granted. Everyone should visit this museum for that reason.

This was a gay oh time and thanks for all the ones before us that made it possible for us to have a feeling of safe to be open and ourself here and in our daily life .the information and the reminder was mind boggling and impact my thoughts and prayers are with you who passed and fought and made a difference in the life of millions of us today .much respect and thanks for the volunteer and staff who make this kind of thing possible for us at no charge .I hope folks will come see and be inspired by it as we were and continue the effort afforded us and the ones to come after us .god bless and thanks again for your all amazing and appreciate all who have and do and will make this possible.

Nice place. Located in a building that also houses for Fort Lauderdale reading center, the Fort Lauderdale library and the art center. Plenty of parking and easy access to the building

This gallery/museum was very informative, with much information about LGBTQ+ history, and the woman who was worling there was lovely and helpful. It was a really lovely experience to view their exhibit for the 50th anniversary of Stonewall and see images and flyers from the timeline - and it was also lovely to see the timeline that started before and went well beyond Stonewall - a really nice view of the hiatory of the community through time.

Very important addition to Wilton Manors and All #LGBT & #HumanRights history and progress. #LoveWins

What a great place. Even though I'm gay myself and I know our queer history, I still got very thoughtful there. I had tears in my eyes. I am a tourist from Germany and I am really happy to have been here. I was only too happy to donate 10 dollars. I will definitely be back on my next vacation in Fort Lauderdale.

Stonewall National makes every effort to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible. As an organization we firmly believe that every story needs to be told and every person's truth needs to be shared. We have no favorites here, are collection is made up of that which is donated, and all items are welcome. Trans, nonbinary, fluid, leather, disabled, this is your home, you and your archives, books, collections, are welcome. We are wheelchair accessible, we are working diligently to expand and reach parity in our library and archives, so all members of our community are included. If you have a question, or concern, come in and talk to us...consider joining us on a Donuts and Conversation Saturday, the opportunity to be part of our family is always open to anyone and everyone in our community.

It is the largest archive collection of LGBTQIA+ material in the world! The library section is open to the public but the archive is by appointment only. The Archives shares space with Artserv, but with their own separate entrance. They have changing exhibits next to the books. There is a shared parking lot and the bathrooms are at the other entrance which is slightly inconvenient but it works. An impressive collection of material for students, researchers and the public.

I had to stop by and check out what is the largest gay lending library in the world as well as a remarkable achievement of the gay community. Its setting is somewhat of an associated yet at the same time unassociated part of the Broward County Library system, being located in one of the systems satellite buildings but having a totally separate entrance and essentially being a separate facility It is staffed by volunteers from the gay community and houses something like 18,000 various literary and other works, all of a gay orientation along with items, matters, and archives involving gay history both locally and nationally. Stonewall offers a particularly neat, orderly well run friendly environment for anyone researching or just interested in anything having to do with past or present gay matters. Stonewall contains materials and information not found anywhere else and stands as a statement by the gay community of its existence, past and present, as well as its relevancy. There are other gay libraries and archives notably in Chicago and Los Angeles, but not entirely the same in regards to content or purpose. Hence, Stonewall stands alone, being what it is, without any equal, and as such I can't award it anything less than my five stars (it's as good as it gets) award. On a funny note, I found myself confused in that some of the items and materials contain various initials such as GLBT, LGBT, BLGT, LGBTIQ supposedly with each initial meant to identify a particular sexual orientation. In attempting to determine the various meanings or what each is meant to identify only got me all the more confused as well as lost in a never ending gay alphabet soup which one source best summed up and referenced as being the gay QUILTBAG (Queer/Questioning, Undecided, Intersex, Lesbian, Trans, Bisexual, Asexual, Gay). Until then, I honestly had no idea how many sexual preferences one could have or be identified with. So, if you ever get bored with nothing better to do and get your jollies tormenting gay librarians, like I do (wink), you can drop in at the Stonewall asking their assistance in ascertaining and deciphering various sex identification initials.

I came here on a tour, such a great experience! While it is a public library with great educational resources the archives were fascinating! There are so many amazing artifacts highlighting the LGBTQ community! This place really is a gem in our own local community that serves to share the LGBTQ history locally and beyond! From books, to magazines from years ago, to a collection of t-shirts to random buttons and magnets. It's interesting to see the evolution over the years and see how far the community has come! Make sure to also check out the sister location art gallery!

The Stonewall Library & Archives is an extraordinary publicly accessible cultural and educational resource that preserves, interprets and shares the remarkable heritage of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. More than that, they serve as an epicenter of enlightenment for our community and have played a significant role in building bridges of cultural understanding in the LGBT community and beyond. The Stonewall Library & Archives provides a unique cultural and intellectual alternative in the community and through its collections, programs and services they honor and explore the past while striving to engage, inform and inspire the next generation of our community's leaders. From its founding in 1973, the Stonewall Library & Archives has grown into the largest lending library of its kind in the United States. Their circulating library holdings now number over 18,000 books and audio-visual materials. Their archives document a century of LGBT cultural and social history with an emphasis on the southeastern United States and contain more than 5,000 items including periodicals, oral history collections, business and association records, manuscripts, and relevant ephemera. Their library and archival collections have been professionally catalogued and are maintained according to accepted conservation and preservation standards.

Passed this place when going to Art Serve. Pleasantly surprised to find out this is lending library and archives for LGBTQ community. Neatly organized with a variety of books, magazines, and films. Guys up front were very welcoming and gave me a lot of information about the history of the library. Free magazines and newspapers to help people connect with the community. I seriously cannot imagine all the wealth of inspiration contained in the walls here. . . I felt I had reached enlightenment after viewing "Paris is Burning" the first time, and that's just ONE film. I think this is really a special place, and happy I stumbled on it . . .really warmed my heart.

IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO LOOK AND GET AN EDUCATION , In the building there are two other places to visit, a library of fort lauderdale and an art gallery. So it's all free and it offers three places to get an education. There are usually exhibits every month or so. Enjoy