We are pleased to announce that Tony Brooks, an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ population and a trailblazer in our community, will be the keynote speaker at the LGBTQIA+ Educational Symposium on June 14.
Tony Brooks is a long-time historic preservationist, local-history lecturer, and architectural tour guide in Wilkes-Barre. Brooks is the director of the Wilkes-Barre Preservation Society and curator of the 1793 Zebulon Butler House Museum. He also serves as a Wilkes-Barre City Councilman, being elected twice by his colleagues as Council President. He has been active in the parish, diocesan, and national affairs of the Episcopal Church.
Brooks likes to stress the importance of having a place at the table. As a member of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Historic Marker Review Panel, Brooks was at the table to explain firsthand that Giovanni’s Room in Philadelphia was much more than just a bookstore in the 70s and 80s. It was the first time the PHMC commemorated a gay business. Brooks has also given testimony on LGBT issues before the Pennsylvania Senate.