Bats Balls and Family: The History of the South Florida Amateur Athletic Association
Hester and Ross Galleries
On display September 12th – November 2nd
Exhibit Opening Reception:
Friday, September 12 | 6:00 PM
To attend RSVP Monique@stonewall-museum.org
Step onto the field where identity, resilience, and camaraderie take center stage. Bats, Balls, and Family celebrates the vibrant legacy of the South Florida Gay Amateur Athletic Association (SFGLAA), spotlighting the athletes who transformed diamonds and courts into arenas of empowerment, belonging, and pride.
This spirited exhibition traces how LGBTQ+ players—often sidelined in mainstream sports—built a dynamic community rooted in teamwork, visibility, and joy. Through decades of games, friendships, and fierce competition, SFGLAA became more than a league—it became a lifeline, a chosen family, and a powerful symbol of what it means to play with heart and live out loud.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the game, Bats, Balls, and Family invites you to cheer for the players who redefined what it means to win—by showing up, standing proud, and building something extraordinary together.
Bayard Rustin at the Crossroads
Hester and Ross Galleries
On display November 14th – January 2nd
Exhibit Opening Reception:
Friday, November 14 | 6:00 PM
To attend RSVP Monique@stonewall-museum.org
Bayard Rustin (1912–1987) was a visionary strategist and tireless advocate for civil rights, nonviolence, and social justice. A master organizer behind the scenes, Rustin played a pivotal role in shaping the modern civil rights movement. He was the chief architect of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, one of the largest political rallies in U.S. history, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Rustin’s deep commitment to nonviolent resistance was rooted in his Quaker upbringing and early work with pacifist organizations like the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Congress of Racial Equality. He was instrumental in mentoring King on the principles of nonviolence and helped establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Despite his profound influence, Rustin was often sidelined due to his identity as a gay man. He faced discrimination both within and outside the movement, yet remained steadfast in his belief that justice must be intersectional. In the later years of his life, Rustin became a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, declaring that “gay people are the new barometer for social change”. He also led humanitarian efforts abroad and worked to integrate labor unions through the A. Philip Randolph Institute. In 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, cementing his legacy as one of the most important—and underrecognized—figures in American history.
