PRIDE in Progress: Shaping America’s Legacy…past, present, and future!
Inaugural Festival September 19 & 20, 2025,
This programming is made possible by a generous grant from
Saturday September 20, 2025 – Presentation & Book Reading
featuring
Robert “Bobby” Fiesler, Investigative Journalist & Author
Robert Kesten, Executive Director Stonewall National Museum
Stonewall National Museum, Library & Archives (Inside ArtServe)
1300 East Sunrise Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304
1:00-3:30 P.M.
PRIDE in Progress: Shaping Legacy…past, present, and future! (PIP) is an original festival debuting September 19 – 20, 2025, at three Greater Fort Lauderdale area venues. Funded in part by Broward County Cultural Division, the festival events focus on American LGBTQ history, the sanctity of same sex marriage and the beauty of all families regardless of their composition. Events include Friday night’s opening night reception with round table discussion, art exhibit, a musical performances. Saturday afternoon features a lecture & book reading and Saturday night The Promise Salon concert at Wilton Manors newest venue The Gray Box Theater.
Festival programs highlight the contributions the LGBTQ community have made to American society. Performers, vendors & venues were selected for their commitment to the LGBTQ community. The festival is open to those interested in supporting and/or learning more about the challenges & triumphs faced by the LGBTQ community & the people who value them.
Festival programs highlight the contributions the LGBTQ community have made to American society. Performers, vendors & venues were selected for their commitment to the LGBTQ community. The festival is open to those interested in supporting and/or learning more about the challenges & triumphs faced by the LGBTQ community & the people who value them.
Schedule
1:00 -1:30 P.M. Robert Kesten, Executive Director, Stonewall National Museum, Library & Archives discusses the historic Stonewall will present a 30-minute lecture about the importance of the Stonewall Riot & other historically relevant issues. Robert has spent his career working tirelessly to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and advance democratic principles around the world. One of Kesten’s notable achievements is his role in writing and producing an award-winning documentary on the Holocaust. In Ukraine, Kesten’s advocacy led to the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ukraine, making it the first Soviet Republic to achieve this milestone. This advocacy work not only advanced LGBTQ+ rights but also set a precedent for human rights in the region. In the United States, Kesten has been a driving force behind significant initiatives aimed at supporting those affected by AIDS. He produced events for the nation’s first AIDS day treatment center, providing critical support and services to individuals living with the disease. His work in this area underscores his commitment to health equity and social justice.
1:30-3:00 P.M. Robert “Bobby” Fiesler, Investigative Journalist & Author researches marginalized groups and writes about forgotten histories. Fieseler graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is a recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship. He is currently pursuing a PhD in History at Tulane University as a Mellon Fellow.
He will do a reading from his latest book AMERICAN SCARE: FLORIDA’S HIDDEN COLD WAR ON BLACK AND QUEER LIVES, lead a discussion about LGBTQ history & take questions from the audience. Mr. Fieseler is a prolific award winning writer whose earlier book Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation
Won the 2021 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award, the 2020 Louisiana Literary Award; 2020 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award in Nonfiction Prose; was shortlisted for 2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing; won the 2019 Edgar Award in Best Fact Crime; the 2019 Lambda Literary Judith A. Markowitz Award for Emerging Writers; 2019 NLGJA Excellence in Book Writing Award and numerous other accolades. His essays, articles & opinion pieces have appeared on ABC News/Good Morning America, Slate, Buzzfeed, and The Daily Beast to name a few.
Additional Support provided by
