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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Seth Rosen, Chief of Development at American LGBTQ+ Museum
5:20:24
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148 sec
Seth Rosen, Chief of Development at the American LGBTQ+ Museum, testified to request an increase in city council discretionary funding for FY '26, specifically asking for $200,000 for their speakers' initiative funding. He highlighted the museum's rapid growth and extensive community outreach efforts across all five boroughs.
- The museum has seen a 75% annual increase in e-newsletter subscribers, growing from 8,000 to 14,000 in the past year.
- They have produced over 40 educational events and developed partnerships with various institutions across New York City.
- The museum launched the Queer Legacies Project, an archivist preservation program in partnership with SAGE USA and StoryCorps, to help LGBTQ+ elders preserve their personal archives and oral histories.
Seth Rosen
5:20:24
Thank you to the co chairs and to all council members present.
5:20:28
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
5:20:30
My name is Seth Rosen, and I am the chief of development at the American LGBTQ plus museum.
5:20:36
For FY '26, we are requesting an increase in city council discretionary funding, specifically increasing our speakers' initiative funding to 200,000 for LGBTQ plus IA community service.
5:20:49
This funding will support an expansion of our educational initiatives and partnerships in all five boroughs as well as hiring additional staff members to implement this expansion.
5:20:59
The museum is rapidly expanding its audience across all five boroughs and online.
5:21:03
Our e newsletter, the museum's main form of communication, has grown from about 8,000 subscribers in 2024 to almost 14,000 in the past year, representing an astounding 75% annual increase.
5:21:16
This is due largely to investments made by the New York City Council toward our public programs.
5:21:21
Within the last year, the museum has produced over 40 educational events, extending our reach citywide through a robust online presence and satellite partnerships with community institutions within all five boroughs.
5:21:34
So far, we have developed public programs in collaboration with the Queens Public Library, Weeksville Heritage Center, NEWFEST, LGBTQ plus Film Festival, Bronx Academy of Arts and Science, the Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture, Alice Austin House, and many more.
5:21:51
Last month, we also launched the museum's first archivist preservation program in partnership with SAGE USA and StoryCorps, named the Queer Legacies Project, which includes facilitated archiving workshops that convene LGBTQ plus elders and help them preserve their personal archives and oral histories for future generations.
5:22:14
Looking ahead to f y twenty six, we are currently piloting a partnership with CultureLab LIC to coproduce a series of lectures, film screenings, and creative workshops that illuminate local queer histories, provide research research and activism
UNKNOWN
5:22:29
Thank
Sami Abu Shumays
5:22:29
you.
5:22:30
And raise
UNKNOWN
5:22:30
Time expired.
Seth Rosen
5:22:32
And raise awareness for our museum project.
5:22:34
These cultural partnerships are just the beginning, and with discretionary support from speaker Adams and the New York City Council and this committee, we are hopeful to expand available resources ahead of our 2027 opening.
5:22:48
I would like to thank you for your time, and we appreciate your consideration of our request.