Stonewall Library & Archives' new exhibition "Out of the Shadows: Gay America from Kinsey to Stonewall" opens at the Broward Main Library on Wednesday, June 4. The exhibition is Stonewall's latest examination of gay and lesbian history and it will be on view until June 28. Admission to the exhibition is free and open to the public.

The exhibition opening reception, free and open to the public, will take place Wednesday, June 4, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Broward Main Library, Gallery Six, in conjunction with ArtsUnited's United and Proud art exhibition.

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots--an event commonly cited as the beginning of the gay rights movement-- the 22-panel exhibition will use period photographs, archival documents, and artifacts to look at what might be described as the pre-history of the gay and lesbian rights movement.

This exhibition will present the story of how the country sought to define what it meant to be gay and lesbian in post-World War II and pre-Stonewall America.

The exhibition also includes two video compilations of news clips from the period and filmed interviews with key figures from the early years of the gay rights movement. Video material was drawn, in part, from the collection of the Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archive.

"Out of the Shadows" will debut at the Broward County Main Library, 100 South Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, and it will subsequently become part of Stonewall's online museum. After its Fort Lauderdale showing, the exhibition will be offered to other institutions around the country. It will be accompanied by a scholarly symposium and film series at both the Broward and Stonewall Libraries.

This exhibition was organized by Stonewall Library & Archives, as part of its mission to collect, preserve and disseminate materials related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. Much of the material featured in this exhibition was drawn from the Stonewall Library & Archives collection.

Generous support for this project was provided by Comcast, Pride South Florida, and the Stonewall Library & Archives staff and volunteers. The exhibition and its programs are cosponsored by the Broward County Library.

Funding for this organization is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.

For further information about the exhibition, please contact:
Jack Rutland, Executive Director
Stonewall Library & Archives
954-763-8565
jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org