Stonewall Museum Mobilizing to Defend Public Education
Stonewall National Museum’s 2025 SNEP Symposium Mobilizes to Defend Public Education
As education policies across the U.S. continue to shift away from supporting marginalized communities, the Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library (SNMAL) is taking a bold stand with its 2025 Stonewall National Education Project (SNEP) Symposium. Taking place October 23–26 in Fort Lauderdale, this year’s gathering brings together educators, administrators, families, and advocates to confront legislative rollbacks and fight for inclusive, civil-rights-centered education.
The Symposium will tackle themes such as student protections, historical accuracy, and community organizing. It also coincides with SNMAL’s annual “Back to the Drive” fundraiser and community celebration, which honors educators nationwide.
SNMAL President and CEO Robert Kesten emphasized the urgency, citing the upcoming July 17 federal cuts to LGBTQ+ suicide prevention services. “This behavior will result in deaths,” Kesten said, “and we cannot be afraid to call it out.”
Despite recent fundraising successes, SNMAL has lost critical federal support and is calling on allies to help sustain the Symposium. The organization continues to draw national partners, including major public school systems and advocacy groups, all aligned with its mission to ensure queer youth thrive in safe, inclusive learning environments.
Scholarships are available. RSVP by August 15. More information at stonewall-museum.org/snep.
About Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library
Stonewall National Museum, Archives, & Library is one of the largest and most significant LGBTQ+ museums and archives and has carried the name Stonewall for more consecutive years than any other organization in the world. For more than five decades, SNMAL has fought for equality by tirelessly releasing powerful messages, hosting dynamic events, launching a solutions-driven task force in Washington DC, mobilizing educators in its national education project, recognizing leaders and heroes and providing an inexhaustible historic record of achievements, even in the face of prejudice and hate. SNMAL houses millions of pages of records and materials available to the media, drawing direct lines from our nation’s history to today.
