Bev Ditsie was 17 when she first met Simon Nkoli, founder of South Africa’s first gay and lesbian organization: GLOW. Simon became her mentor, her role model and, most of all, her friend. Together, their hard work and unyielding determination moved South Africa to become the only country in the world to include a constitutional amendment banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. Bev’s rise from a lonely childhood in Soweto to becoming a media celebrity and the first lesbian to address a UN conference is a remarkable story of courage and commitment. Her first documentary film was a homage to Simon Nkoli, who died in 1998. “Bev and Simon” – an unusual “love story” that may have changed the course of a nation.
Producer: David Swatling
Broadcast: January 23, 2004