For more than a decade, Broward County has backed the Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library in Fort Lauderdale, sending it over $1 million since 2014. Now the county has turned down the museum’s operating grant for the 2027 fiscal year, and according to the museum, it never clearly explained why.

Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners should reverse this decision and fund Stonewall’s grant.

The county’s notice said the denial was not about the quality or impact of the museum’s work. Instead, it pointed to vague program, funding, and policy requirements without naming which ones the museum failed to meet. Meanwhile, commissioners set aside about the same total for cultural grants as last year. The money is there. The explanation is not.

Stonewall is not alone. Island SPACE Caribbean Museum in Plantation was also denied, according to WLRN. Both museums preserve the history and culture of communities that live and work in Broward.

The rejection lands less than three months before a new Florida law takes effect on January 1, barring counties and cities from funding or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Stonewall’s CEO, Robert Kesten, has urged officials to distribute the funds and fight the state in court instead of cutting off trusted partners early.

The museum got the news just two hours after Kesten publicly asked elected leaders to resist pressure from Tallahassee. “The timing is extraordinary,” a museum spokesperson said in a news release reported by The Advocate.

People of every political stripe should expect clear, fair rules for how public arts money is spent. A museum with a 12-year record of county support deserves a real answer and a fair shot.

Sign the petition to tell Broward County to restore Stonewall’s funding and protect local history before the state’s January deadline.