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Ralf Dose and Steven Thrasher: Born this way

The Radical Legacy of Magnus Hirschfeld and the Fight for LGBT Equality

Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) was a pioneer in the fight for sexual equality and women’s rights. Utilizing the motto “Through Science Toward Justice,” Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee in Germany to defend the rights of homosexuals, as well as the decriminalization of abortion. By 1933, Hirschfeld became a target of the Nazis and was forced into exile. As conservative politicians from Texas to Uganda try to push back any gains won by the LGBT movement, Hirschfeld’s work and legacy is being re-examined by a new generation of activists and scholars. Join us as the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office welcomes Ralf Dose, director of the Magnus Hirschfeld Society in Berlin and author of the seminal biography Magnus Hirschfeld: The Origin of the Gay Liberation Movement.

Dose will be joined by Steven Thrasher, a Contributing Editor at BuzzFeed. Thrasher was named Journalist of the Year 2012 by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his investigative feature writing in the New York Times, Village Voice and Out magazine.

Magnus Hirschfeld. The Origins of the Gay Liberation Movement (New York: Monthy Review Press 2014) ist eine erweiterte und aktualisierte Version der 2005 bei Hentrich & Hentrich erschienenen Hirschfeld-Biographie –Hirschfelds USA-Aufenthalte und seine Rezeption in den USA finden besondere Berücksichtigung. Auf der Basis dieser englischen Fassung sind eine chinesische und eine isländische Ausgabe in Vorbereitung.