FL’s Stonewall Museum Uses Surprise $25K Federal Grant For Exhibit On Gay Revolutionary War General

The Miami Herald reports:

The Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library did not expect any federal funding after President Donald Trump took office. After all, said LGBTQ museum president and CEO Robert Kesten, staff from a federal agency told him “we need not apply.” But in February, the Fort Lauderdale-based museum got updated communication from the National Endowment of the Arts: if the museum did apply for a federal grant, it should be for a project related to the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence.

“OK, they’re telling us that they’re not interested, but there is Baron von Steuben,” Kesten said. He’s referring to Prussian-born army officer Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Freiherr von Steuben, a pivotal figure in the Revolutionary War considered to be a father of the U.S. Army. And, many historians believe, he was gay.

The museum staff submitted a proposal for an exhibition highlighting the military leader to the National Endowment of the Humanities. Much to their surprise, the museum received a $25,000 matched grant. The exhibition “Von Steuben: Architect of American Independence” is now a reality.

Read the full article. Below is a PBS piece on the museum.

George Washington’s gay general? Fort Lauderdale LGBTQ museum tells his story https://t.co/uyhhxWA1SD

— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) April 28, 2026

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