Georgina Beyer

Beyer served as the mayor of Carterton and as a Labour MP for Wairarapa. She was a vocal activist for LGBTQI rights.

She was instrumental in getting the road sealed to the Cliffs picnic spot. While MP for Wairarapa under Helen Clark's Labour government she attended a reunion at Wellesley College, the boys-only school in Lower Hutt. He said many close friends and family had been able to speak with her before she died, on Monday. It was quite a surprise for such a flamboyant character such as Beyer to win the mayoralty in such as conservative town such as Carterton, he said, but she did have a lot of charisma and was an articulate advocate for the region. Her style.” Her people. Before her life-saving transplant Beyer was on dialysis four times a day seven days a week. Her culture. She beat broadcaster Paul Henry for the seat, which she held for six years. She did not win. Being trans was a big part of her but there was so much more to her. “She was a trailblazer in the rainbow community for providing a voice and leadership to our community as the world’s first openly transgender MP,” he said.

Beyer was the world's first openly transgender MP and served in the Labour Party. She was also the former mayor of Carterton. A release from her friends, ...

In 1995, she was elected mayor of Carterton making her the world’s first openly transgender mayor. she made history." Rest well e hoa," she said in a tweet. Asked what she would have messaged Beyer, Chadwick said: "Go bravely. "She had a very big following within the New Zealand community. "I’ll always remember her generosity to me at Pride events where she made space for me as a voice for National. Before taking on a career in politics, she was a sex worker and nightclub performer as a result of a lack of opportunities for trans women at the time. Chadwick said she believed Beyer would have liked to have become Human Rights Commissioner, but also believed she would have had "no regrets". She said Beyer was a "dear friend" and she would have messaged her if she had known how quickly Beyer was "fading". "She was our first transgender member of Parliament, winning a general consitutency seat, and making a lasting impression on the Parliament in the process. Former MP Louisa Wall was working with Beyer on a Treaty of Waitangi claim on the rights of indigenous people and says her death is “heartbreaking”, “she still had more to do, and that she was trying to create a different legacy”. "Georgie was surround by her nearest and dearest 24/7 over the past week, she accepted what was happening, was cracking jokes and had a twinkle in her eye, right till the final moments," they said.

Georgina Beyer, the world's first openly transgender Member of Parliament and mayor has died aged 65. The “rainbow legend” died at Mary Potter Hospice in W.

Finally fighting-fight, she’s spoken at the prestigious Cambridge and Oxford Unions. In 1979, she was sexually assaulted by a group of men. “Because of my transitioning at that time and the lack of social compassion, it forced you to live in this ‘twilight world’. She turned to local government to affect change and in 1995 became the first openly transsexual mayor in the world in what had been considered the conservative town of Carterton. Beyer turned to local government to affect change and in 1995 became the first openly transsexual mayor in the world. She was later elected as a member of parliament in 1999 as Wairarapa MP and in 2005 elected as the first openly transgender MP.

The world's first openly transgender MP, New Zealand mayor and politician Georgina Beyer has died. Ms Beyer won...

In that moment I guess they gave me tacit approval that I was the expert on this thing in this chamber." Her spark was still very much intact and we had a good yarn with plenty of laughs." So I have come full circle, so to speak." "I paused and looked around to see whose hands were going to go flying up. she told the NZ Herald of her success. Who would have thought?"

Elected to the Carterton District Council in 1993, Beyer won a landslide victory in the Carterton mayoral election in 1995 and was re-elected in 1998. Nominated ...

"As Aotearoa's rainbow communities come together to grieve and celebrate Georgina's life, many of us may find we need some extra support. A post on the Rainbow Labour Facebook page reads: "A personal hero to many, Georgina was a true warrior with a unique sense of humour and a passion for giving back to her communities. I was with her on the steps of Parliament when Brian Tamaki and his mob arrived to oppose civil unions. With a mixture of awe and genuine fear for her safety I saw the very best of Georgina that day. She was their voice. "I do want to extend my condolences to all those that Georgina was important and special to... And then followed her when she went to confront them. She broke barriers before anybody thought it was possible. Youth rainbow organisation InsideOUT said as the world's first openly transgender/whakawahine mayor and MP, Beyer was "a trailblazer who stood as a shining beacon for and tireless advocate of Aotearoa's rainbow communities". "She did so much for the Labour movement, for Māori, for the rights of rainbow communities, for the protection and safety of sex workers and for so many people who needed a voice. "She was a trailblazer in the rainbow community for providing a voice and leadership to our community as the World's first openly transgender MP," Halbert wrote on Facebook. In the 2019 documentary Rainbow Voices of New Zealand, to mark the reopening of Parliament's Rainbow Room, Beyer said she had no idea when she was elected she was the world's first openly trans MP.

The world's first transgender mayor and MP, Georgina Beyer, has died after a long illness. Beyer has been remembered as a trailblazer and a fighter, ...

New Zealander Georgina Beyer, the world's first openly transgender member of parliament and tireless advocate for LGBTQ rights, has died at the age of 65.

Register for free to Reuters and know the full story She served as a Labour MP until 2007. Made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 for services to the rainbow community, she was known for her work in the legalisation of civil unions and gay marriage as well as the decriminalisation of prostitution.

The former actor, drag performer, sex worker and radio host pulled off a surprise victory as a Labour MP and later played a pivotal role in decriminalising ...

In that moment I guess they gave me tacit approval that I was the expert on this thing in this chamber.” “I’ve had to endure that kind of thing and it either kills you or it doesn’t. Her spark was still very much intact.” Who would have thought?” she told the NZ Herald in a 2018 interview. “I paused and looked around to see whose hands were going to go flying up. So I have come full circle.”

Beyer served as the mayor of Carterton and as a Labour MP for Wairarapa. She was a vocal activist for LGBTQI rights.

“Georgina had a sharp wit which was a great asset in the parliamentary debating chamber. “She was a champion of human rights and gender identity, and will be greatly missed, not only in the rainbow community, but across New Zealand,” Kennedy said in a statement. “She was a trailblazer in the rainbow community for providing a voice and leadership to our community,” he said. [In 2020, she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit](https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121629765/from-one-queen-to-another--georgina-beyer-recognised-in-queens-birthday-honours) for services to the rainbow community. Activist and politician Georgina Beyer was remembered by luminaries, friends and colleagues as a trailblazer and champion of all the people she represented. She was proud of the campaigns for the Civil Union Bill and the Prostitution Reform Bill, both of which she supported, and for delivering on promises to her constituents.

Aotearoa Antifascists mourn the great loss of Kuia Georgina Beyer MNZM JP (Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Porou).

Beyer brought hope to transgender people not just in Aotearoa but all over the world. She reflected: “But folks, we won that battle [...] Many of us have fought long and hard for many decades to gain the rights that we’ve earned in this place called Parliament. Beyer had bravely stood along with other Civil Union supporters against abuse and physical threat, and spoke in a counter-demonstration against Tamaki. Everything about who she was: tangata whenua; transgender; someone whose mahi was to uplift others - she put all of that forward proudly and without apology.” A powerhouse, committed to giving a strong voice to the communities she was involved in. Aotearoa Antifascists mourn the great loss of Kuia Georgina Beyer MNZM JP (Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Porou).

Friend Louisa Wall said the former MP "scorched the earth so we had a pathway and a passage where our advocacy added to her legacy".

"Georgina had a sharp wit which was a great asset in New Zealand's parliamentary debating chamber... It made you stronger," she said. "I think that somebody that lives so authentically does deserve our respect, and obviously got it.

New Zealand's first openly gay MP pays tribute to his friend and colleague Georgina Beyer, who died on Monday aged 65. I first met Georgina when she was the ...

On day one of the programme, each of the Commonwealth participants is required to do a brief personal introduction. To show this to the world was something Georgina came to love. In 2003, Georgina was sent to London to take part in the Commonwealth studies programme. In typical Georgina style she had forgotten to tell me she was coming to stay and simply arrived. The bemused ministerial driver delivered us to the venue and a flurry of Kurdish men descended. I first met Georgina when she was the mayor of Carterton and was considering running as the Labour Party candidate for the National-held seat of Wairarapa. He was right – Georgina won the seat by 3,033 and in the 2002 election increased her majority to 6,372. She was introduced as Mrs Carter and all night the men kept telling me how beautiful my wife was. John Banks, then police minister, frequently referred to me in the debating chamber as “Christine” and the NZ Herald for several years referenced me as “the homosexual MP”. His response was telling, “I am voting for Georgina Beyer, she’s a good bloke!” Paul Henry came on immediately after that segment and, true to form, indulged in a bit of transphobia, proclaiming, “I was born a male and l am still proud to be a male.” It was mean and awkward. That wasn’t the case when Georgina and l entered parliament. In 1999, Wairarapa was a National-held seat and had a very large rural component.

Beyer, who was Māori, became the world's first openly transgender member of Parliament in New Zealand in 1999.

Politicians from both sides of the aisle mourned her death Monday. In 1995 she was elected mayor of the small North Island town of Carterton. - The Beyer, who was Māori, worked as a sex worker and nightclub performer before turning to politics. He and husband Scott Kennedy instead put out a statement. Friends of Beyer said she died peacefully in hospice care.

Louisa Wall is New Zealand's Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific)/Tuia Tāngata. She was a Labour MP from 2011 until 2022. OPINION: Georgina Beyer (Te ...

The claimant seeks a variety of relief, essentially recommending that the Crown act in partnership and consultation with takatāpui to plan, develop, design and fund services that will improve health outcomes for takatāpui. We were all in awe of this phenomenon that was Georgie Girl. You have to be bold, brave and vigilant when advocating for the most vulnerable and marginalised groups. A kaupapa that celebrates and affirms our LGBTIQ+ identities. Georgie has a Treaty of Waitangi Claim, Georgie Girl was always mentally agile and witty, passionate, proud, loud and unafraid to share her thoughts and opinions. A person who transcended the abstract to make trans-identity real and therefore concrete for all of us. She was in and of herself an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs. I was at the launch of this book, in 2007 at the University of Auckland, when Georgie, the guest of honour made her appearance. And in doing so we greatly loved and respected her. We should only tolerate being accepted for who and what we are.” We should never accept being tolerated.

Georgina Beyer was the world's first openly transgender mayor and Member of Parliament. This story was first published in 2018 and is being republished ...

But I have post-operative medications that I have to take for the rest of my life and I’d lost a lot of weight – I was almost skeletal by the time I had my transplant.” And I thought, well if it was the last time, I would do a tune and I did … “I was quoted once as saying this was the stallion that became a gelding and now she’s a mare,” she would say in her parliamentary maiden speech after her election as MP in 1999. “And before we went much further, he said, ‘I’ve got something that I want to put to you and I have given it some thought. “Because of my transitioning at that time and the lack of social compassion, it forced you to live in this ‘twilight world’. “I had thought a couple of months and bing! “I would say that she is a new generation of trans activist and has become a huge global role-model in that sense,” Beyer adds. A move to Carterton would see her elected to the council and she became the world’s first transgendered mayor in 1995. Following her Wikileaks document release, Manning was charged with a number of offences, including “aiding the enemy”, which could have resulted in the death penalty. “It was like she had been working a part as an Intelligence analyst for the US military. “It was a great opportunity to meet someone as highly controversial as she has been in recent times. Georgina Beyer had been invited to address both the Oxford and Cambridge University Unions in the United Kingdom in 2018 - a significant achievement.