“Justice through science.”

This week on Dot Femme, hosts Danielle Gonzalez and Claire Michelle travel to turn-of-the-century Berlin to uncover the extraordinary life and legacy of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld — physician, sexologist, and queer trailblazer.

Born in 1868 on the Baltic coast to Jewish parents, Hirschfeld would go on to found the first gay and lesbian rights organization in the world and launch an unprecedented scientific study of gender and sexuality. From coining the term “transvestite” to pioneering early gender-affirming healthcare at the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, Hirschfeld’s work challenged a society gripped by nationalism, misogyny, and fear of the “other.”

We follow his story through the rise of Weimar queer culture, the backlash of far-right violence, and the ultimate destruction of his institute by Nazi youth — a loss of priceless research and a chilling precursor to the Holocaust.

Learn how Hirschfeld’s radical vision of sexual intermediaries, intersectional advocacy, and scientific justice still echoes in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights today.

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Music by Master Planned Music.