Beverley Ditsie

Abstract

Description of Artwork Beverley Palesa Ditsie was born in Soweto in 1971. Flung into an era where her race was discriminated against and her sexuality wasn’t accepted, she was not afraid to challenge social norms. She was a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of Witwatersrand (GLOW), which sought acknowledgement of sexual diversity as a human right during and after the apartheid regime. In 1995 she was the first openly lesbian woman to address the United Nations to “adopt resolutions recognising sexual diversity” at a conference on women’s rights. An activist and a filmmaker, her unwavering strength and positivity of character became apparent in her documentary, Simon & I, dedicated to the plight of LGBT people during apartheid. The documentary follows Ditsie and Simon Nkoli (also a founding member of GLOW). Considering her position as a lesbian, female, person of colour who experiences hostility and oppression from nearly all angles of society, she projects a remarkably uplifting, persevering and grounded attitude into the world. We feel it vital to commemorate her, and what she stands for, to avoid erasure and gain attention in our new democracy. The colour scheme of our image represents her grounded and resilient personality. The image of her is from her speech at the first Pride March in South Africa, which she helped to promote and organise. The symbol is one used in her and others’ activism for LGBT rights.