Filmmaker and activist Beverley Ditsie receives honorary doctorate

Summary

The video script recounts the significance of the first pride march, highlighting the empowerment it brought to the LGBTQ+ community by affirming their legitimate existence and fighting against shame. It details the speaker's involvement with an international group of lesbians advocating for global human rights at the United Nations, particularly focusing on the struggle for lesbian rights within the women's rights discussion. The narrative also touches on the challenges of advocating in a male-dominated conference and the speaker's pivotal speech that resonated with the audience, signifying a shift in perception. The speaker reflects on the current state of their country, expressing concerns about societal issues such as unemployment, poverty, and substance abuse, while emphasizing the importance of love, acceptance, and unity within the LGBTQ+ community.

Takeaways

• 🏳️‍🌈 The first pride march was a significant event that validated the existence and legitimacy of the LGBTQ+ community, challenging the societal shame and erasure they faced.
• 🌍 The speaker was part of an international group of lesbians working with the United Nations on global human rights and women's rights issues.
• 📖 The group participated in the NGO forum in Beijing, discussing the 'platform for action'—a document addressing various forms of discrimination against women, particularly in marginalized countries.
• 🔍 The conference was not solely for women but included a majority of male representatives from African countries, highlighting the irony of men discussing women's rights.
• 🗣️ The speaker volunteered to speak for five minutes at the plenary to advocate for lesbian rights as human rights, influenced by South Africa's first black president's stance on sexual orientation inclusion.
• 🎤 The impact of the speech was profound, with a room full of men in shock, indicating a shift in perception and awareness about LGBTQ+ rights.
• 🌐 The speaker now lives in a country where freedom is not fully realized, with high unemployment and poverty, contrasting the initial hope and vision for the future.
• 👥 The speaker emphasizes the strength in numbers and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community, and the importance of resilience in the face of adversity.
• 🚫 There is a concern for the mental health and substance abuse within the LGBTQ+ community, reflecting the ongoing struggles despite progress in rights.
• 💔 The speaker expresses concern over judgment and discrimination within the LGBTQ+ community itself, highlighting the need for internal unity and support.
• 🏠 The importance of family and inner circle acceptance is underscored as the most crucial factor for an individual's well-being in the LGBTQ+ community.

Q & A

What was the significance of the first pride march according to the speaker?

The first pride march was significant because it was the first time many people realized that their existence was legitimate and could not be erased or shamed away.

Why did the speaker feel that pride marches were initially exciting and frightening?

The speaker felt that pride marches were exciting and frightening because they were a new and unknown outcome, and many participants, including those hiding their identities, did not know what the consequences would be.

What role did the international group of lesbians play in the speaker's involvement with the United Nations?

The international group of lesbians, which the speaker was a part of, worked with the United Nations on a global human rights and women's rights level, preparing for the NGO forum in Beijing.

What was the purpose of the NGO forum in Beijing mentioned in the script?

The NGO forum in Beijing was a precursor to the governmental discussions where various clauses on women's discrimination, particularly in marginalized countries, were discussed before the heads of states met to finalize the platform for action.

Why was the conference in Beijing not just a women's conference according to the speaker?

The conference was not just a women's conference because it included a predominance of men, including African heads of states and representatives, discussing women's rights and issues.

What was the platform for action and why was it significant?

The platform for action was a document under discussion that included various terms and clauses on women's discrimination. It was significant because it aimed to address and rectify these issues globally.

Why was the speaker chosen to speak at the plenary session about lesbian rights?

The speaker was chosen because they were one of the few non-white, non-European individuals present, and they could leverage the support of their country's first black president, who advocated for the inclusion of sexual orientation in human rights.

What impact did the speaker's speech at the plenary session have on the audience?

The speaker's speech had a profound impact, causing a shift in the room's atmosphere from being packed and noisy to dead quiet, indicating that something significant had happened.

How does the speaker describe the current state of their country?

The speaker describes their country as being in a bad place, with people realizing that the freedom they have is cosmetic, and they are facing issues like unemployment and dire poverty.

What concerns does the speaker have about the LGBTQ community's mental health?

The speaker is concerned about substance abuse, including drug and alcohol use, and the judgment and discrimination within the LGBTQ community, emphasizing the importance of love, acceptance, and support from one's inner circle.

What message does the speaker convey about the importance of family and community support within the LGBTQ community?

The speaker emphasizes that if one's family and inner circle love, accept, and defend who they are, the opinions of others matter less, highlighting the importance of a supportive environment for mental well-being.

Outlines

00:00

🏳️‍🌈 The Birth of Pride and the Fight for Legitimacy

This paragraph recounts the significance of the first pride march, highlighting its impact on the LGBTQ+ community's self-perception and the broader society's understanding of their legitimacy. It emphasizes the initial fear and shame many felt due to societal pressures, and how the pride movement helped to dispel these feelings. The speaker also discusses their involvement with an international group of lesbians working on global human rights at the United Nations, particularly focusing on the 'platform for action' document and the challenges faced in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights within a predominantly male-dominated conference setting.

05:00

🗣️ Advocacy and the Power of Speech at a Pivotal Conference

The speaker reflects on their unexpected role in advocating for lesbian rights at a crucial conference, where they were one of the few non-white, non-European representatives present. They describe the tension and shock in the room as they made their case, and how this moment signified a shift in perception. The paragraph also touches on the current state of their home country, expressing concern for the people's mental health and the issues of substance abuse and discrimination within the LGBTQ+ community. The speaker stresses the importance of love, acceptance, and support from one's inner circle as a means to withstand external judgment.

Keywords

💡Pride March

A Pride March is a public demonstration celebrating LGBTQ+ identity and advocating for equal rights. In the video's context, the first Pride March was significant as it marked a turning point in visibility and self-acceptance for many, challenging societal norms and prejudices. It is mentioned as a moment of both excitement and fear, symbolizing the beginning of a fight against erasure and shame.

💡Legitimacy

Legitimacy refers to the recognition of something as valid, acceptable, or lawful. In the script, the term is used to describe the struggle for LGBTQ+ individuals to have their existence acknowledged as legitimate, rather than being marginalized or shamed, highlighting the importance of societal acceptance and legal recognition.

💡Discrimination

Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. The video discusses the discrimination faced by women and the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in marginalized countries, and the efforts to address these issues through global human rights platforms.

💡Global Human Rights

Global Human Rights pertain to the universal principles and standards that apply to all individuals, regardless of nationality or location. The script mentions an international group of lesbians working with the United Nations on a global level to advocate for human rights, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in fighting for equality.

💡NGO Forum

An NGO Forum is a non-governmental organization event that often precedes or runs parallel to official governmental meetings, providing a platform for civil society to discuss and influence policy. In the video, the NGO Forum in Beijing is where discussions on the 'Platform for Action' took place, focusing on women's rights and discrimination.

💡Platform for Action

The 'Platform for Action' mentioned in the script refers to a document outlining strategies and measures to address discrimination against women, particularly in marginalized countries. It was a focal point of discussion at the NGO Forum, aiming to shape policy and action plans for gender equality.

💡Lesbian Rights

Lesbian Rights pertain to the rights and recognition of lesbian individuals within society, advocating for equality and an end to discrimination based on sexual orientation. The script discusses the effort to include lesbian rights as part of the broader women's rights and human rights discussions at the conference.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion refers to the act of incorporating or involving all members of a group, ensuring equal access and participation. The video mentions the inclusion of sexual orientation in the bill of rights, indicating a progressive stance towards recognizing and protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

💡Mental Health

Mental Health is the state of well-being in which an individual can realize their own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community. The script expresses concern about the mental health of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in relation to substance abuse and the impact of societal judgment and discrimination.

💡Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse involves the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including drugs and alcohol. The video script raises concerns about substance abuse within the LGBTQ+ community, suggesting it as a coping mechanism for the pressures of discrimination and marginalization.

💡Diversity

Diversity refers to the variety of different elements, concepts, or people. In the context of the video, diversity is celebrated as a strength within the LGBTQ+ community, highlighting the importance of embracing different identities and experiences to foster resilience and unity.

Highlights

The first pride march was a momentous occasion, marking a shift in the fight for legitimacy and acceptance of LGBTQ+ existence.

Before the pride movement, many LGBTQ+ individuals lived in shame, internalizing the message that their existence was wrong.

The pride march was both exciting and frightening, as it was the first time many people publicly asserted their identities.

The speaker was part of an international group of lesbians working with the United Nations on global human rights and women's rights issues.

The group spent two weeks in Beijing at the NGO forum discussing the platform for action, a document addressing discrimination against women.

The conference was not solely a women's conference, but included 90% men discussing women's rights and issues.

The speaker volunteered to speak at the plenary to convince the audience that lesbian rights are human rights.

The speaker's speech had a significant impact, as evidenced by the reactions of the audience, including shock and excitement.

The speaker did not initially realize the historical significance of their speech, but later recognized the shift it represented.

The speaker now lives in a country facing unemployment and poverty, realizing that the freedom they fought for was cosmetic.

Despite the current challenges, the speaker remains hopeful, emphasizing the strength found in diversity and resilience.

The speaker expresses concern for mental health, substance abuse, and discrimination within the LGBTQ+ community.

The importance of family acceptance and support is highlighted as a key factor in overcoming external discrimination.

The speaker calls for unity and love within the LGBTQ+ community, recognizing the shared struggle against discrimination.

The transcript provides a personal account of the speaker's experiences and insights on the LGBTQ+ rights movement and its challenges.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

the first pride march was a momentous

occasion for for all of us I think

because it was the first time that a lot

of where people realize that there is

actually a legitimate fight and that our

existence is a legitimate existence that

cannot be erased or shamed away because

before then people were living in shape

you know people we've been told so much

and for so long that we are wrong to

exist that we were okay to live in shame

but in actual fact you know when pride

happened and a lot of us were marching

down the street for the first time

including those who had paper bags on

their heads you know and there were not

a lot of people were like trying to hide

their identities but it was a first and

we didn't know what was going to be the

outcome of that so it was as exciting as

it was frightening

[Music]

okay so the process was not as simple as

me just deciding to speak I was with a

international group of lesbians that had

been working with the United Nations on

a kind of a global Human Rights level

right and a global feminists and women's

rights level and so we'd spent two weeks

before then in the NGO forum in Beijing

before the government's and the heads of

states met to discuss what was then

called the platform for action and a

platform for action was a document that

had all these different clauses on the

different ways in which women are

discriminated against particularly in

Africa and in other marginalized

countries including the toggle Western

minute over North as well so the

platform for action was a document under

discussion and in the platform for

action they had records on every clause

in every term in every word that was a

in dispute

[Music]

that conference was not a woman's

conference it was a conference

it has a very big big big difference to

just being a woman's conference because

had it been a woman's conference it

would have been a predominance of women

having conversation about women's issues

but it was a conference only women and

what that meant is that a lot of the

African heads of states for example and

a lot of the representatives from

African countries were mostly men so we

had 90 percent men sitting in one big

conference room discussing women's

rights and women's issues and saying

these are the rights we were given these

are the rights we won't

[Music]

when we found out that we could have

five minutes to try and convince the

plenary that

lesbian rights a woman's rights and

women's rights are human rights new

technology and now the question was who

was good

who was going to do

and around that time a lot of your black

your African your non-white and

non-european and then Americans had

already left I was one of the few that

was still there during that time and so

then the question was who would make a

bigger impact one it was 1995 so the

context is that we have a first black

president who is loved worldwide who is

seen as a saint who then also speaks of

the inclusion of sexual orientation in

our own bill of rights move speaks of

non discrimination on the basis of

sexual orientation so already that was a

in so it was very easy for me to say

look we already have a president that

supports us so it was very easy to then

volunteer

[Music]

I did not know what impact it is going

to have I did not know

I didn't even know that I was first I

didn't know with me yesterday I think if

I'd known I probably would have done or

maybe I would I don't know I didn't know

all I knew was that somebody's got to

make a speech and I woke up and then I

remember you know seeing one of the ANC

members as I looked up while I was

making a speech

Cheryl careless and I remember looking

up and having somebody cheering and let

being very excited and then I scanned

the rest of the room and there were all

these men in particular who was sitting

there in shock and it is in that moment

that I think I knew that sometimes

there's a shift something's happening

because also it was a it was packed in

the plenary but then it went dead quiet

probably not I live in a different

country now I live in a country where we

are not so joyous about the fact that we

are free because now we realize actually

the freedom was cosmetic people are just

as unemployed if not more people are

living in dire poverty we are in a

really radically um it's we're in a bad

place

you know I can English the size in

English science but we are not in a very

nice condition right now in our country

and so I suppose I would be speaking

from a place of not so much of the

positives I was speaking from a positive

space or speaking from a space of a

country and a precedent that had hoped

we had a vision of the future and the

vision of the future is not what it is

[Music]

look we have the strength in numbers our

diversity is a strength our resilience

is a strong to me that

it's a beautiful thing that that is so I

see self away

the ok-ish to be out and about

need to be quick and I say ish because

we are not necessarily

and some clouds

[Music]

I am concerned about our our health our

mental health in particular I am

concerned about the drug and alcohol

abuse and substance abuse I am concerned

about how we are abusive

how we judge and discriminate each other

I am because those things concern me

because we are after all one family of

people that are discriminated against or

enough of everybody else you know I love

and care for the entire spectrum of

LGBTQ I and I meet that but people don't

realize is that if your family if your

inner circle loves accepts and

acknowledges who you are and defends you

other people out there can go back in

they cannot show because if you are

loved and accepted weight matters to you

the most what does what does the world

matter

[Music]