You are warmly invited to a workshop with Dr. Beverley Ditsie (they/them), an activist, author and filmmaker from South Africa on 27 April 2026. Dr. Beverley Ditsie is a co-founder of GLOW (Gay and Lesbian Organisation of the Witwatersrand). At the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, Dr. Beverley Ditsie called for combatting discrimination against lesbians as an integral part of women rights and thereby put lesbian rights on the global political agenda for the first time.
Join us on Monday, 27 April 2026 for “Joy and Resistance – A workshop with Dr. Beverley Ditsie about the challenges of LGBTIQ+ struggles for human rights”, about activism in the current geopolitical situation and the role of the United Nations. Dr. Beverley Ditsie will share experiences of resistance by Black South Africans against multiple forms of discrimination, together with a personal understanding of “queer joy and affirmation”. Dr. Beverley Ditsie is also interested in activism in Germany. We are looking forward to an inspiring exchange of ideas!
When: 27 April 2026, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Where: Allerweltshaus Köln, Geisselstraße 3–5, 50823 Köln-Ehrenfeld
Who: Dr. Beverley Palesa Ditsie, activist, filmmaker, artist; South Africa
Moderation: Silvia Abiyeme de Bertolini, Black & Queer NRW; Cornelia Sperling, FliP – Frauenliebe im Pott
The event will be held in English. Participation is free of charge. Seats are limited. Registration via e‑mail is required. Please register by 20 April 2026 with your full name, email address and (if applicable) organization at: info@hirschfeld-eddy-stiftung.de
An Event by the Hirschfeld-Eddy-Stiftung in cooperation with FliP – Frauenliebe im Pott, Black & Queer NRW, col.lit.ive/ allerweltshaus köln, Dachverband Lesben und Alter.
Background information and links
Dr. Beverley Palesa Ditsie is a well-known anti-apartheid activist who worked at the forefront of the movement with Simon Nkoli to enable South Africa’s post-apartheid constitution to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and open the door to same-sex marriage. Dr. Beverley Ditsie is an artist, instructor and activist, and co-founder of the inspiring House of Ditsie in Johannesburg.
- A message from Bev Ditsie for CSW 2025
- TED Talk by Beverley Ditsie „It’s time to stop the lies“
Trailer for „Lesbians Free Everyone“ from Beverley Palesa Ditsie - Speech by Beverley Ditsie at the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995
The event is part of the project: “The Pink Factor: LGBTIQ+ Rights in the Geopolitical Struggle about Values and Resources”
