Queer Defiance - The Boy from Berlin & LGBTQ Heroes Who Fought Back

Can't Make The Time? Register in advance and receive access to the recording for 14 days after the live Zoom tour.

Revised and Expanded with New Research

Discover the untold stories of LGBTQ heroes who stood up to fascism in Nazi Europe. Join the always engaging Professor Andrew Lear of award-winning, Oscar Wilde Tours, for a powerful journey through courage, resistance, and pride under the most harrowing circumstances.

Help reclaim the history of queer resistance during World War II as we honor figures like Dutch artist Willem Arondeus, who died a hero’s death and declared, “Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards.”

You’ll meet:
• Fredy Hirsch – the young teacher who protected and educated children even inside Auschwitz.
• Willem Arondeus & Frieda Belinfante – the gay man and lesbian who blew up Amsterdam’s population registry, saving countless lives.
• Rose Vallan, the lesbian assistant curator who secretly recorded the Nazi's art thefts in Paris.
• The White Rose, a circle of brave university students—including queer founders—who urged Germans to rise up against Hitler.

We will end with an extended story of the “Boy from Berlin,” Gad Beck (pictured in the 1940s and in the 1980s) – the daring, defiant Berlin youth who led a resistance network in the heart of the Nazi capital right under the noses of the Gestapo. Professor Lear is currently developing a feature film about Beck with Allan Neuwirth, co-producer of “Call Me By Your Name.”

Register now for the live event or follow-up recording. Discover how these extraordinary individuals risked—and often lost—their lives to stand for freedom, truth, and love.

About Our Speaker: Andrew Lear of WeWereThere.Org and Oscar Wilde Tours

Professor Andrew Lear is a world-renowned expert on sexuality in art and the author of the best-known book on sexuality in Greek vase-painting. He is the founder of Oscar Wilde Tours, the gay history tour company, and Shady Ladies Tours, the woman's history tour company.

Event Co-Hosts and Supporters: