Georgina Beyer

Politician, LGBTQ+ advocate

• Born: November 27, 1957
• Birthplace: Wellington, New Zealand
• Died: March 6, 2023
• Place of death: Wellington, New Zealand

Deathplace: Wellington, New Zealand

Significance: Georgina Beyer was a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party. She was a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and was the world’s first openly transgendered person to be elected mayor and as a member of parliament.

Background

Georgina Beyer was born on November 27, 1957, in Wellington, New Zealand, to Noeline and Jack Bertrand. She was assigned male sex at birth and named George Bertrand after her grandfather. She was of European and Māori (including Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Raukawa, and Ngāti Porou) descent. Her father was a police officer and her mother was studying to be a nurse. In December 1958, her mother gave birth to another child who was placed for adoption. Beyer was first sent to a Salvation Army home and then to her maternal grandparents in Taranaki, where she lived until she was about five years old.

Her parents’ marriage fell apart after her father, a compulsive gambler, went to jail for theft. They divorced in 1962. In the same year, her mother remarried. Her stepfather, Colin Beyer, was a prominent lawyer in New Zealand. Byer returned to live with the family, eventually taking her stepfather’s last name as her own. In December 1963, her brother was born.

Beyer attended Upper Hutt Primary School until the age of seven. The family moved to the suburb Crofton Downs and Beyer transferred to Ngaio School. However, as her parents began to have problems in their marriage, Beyer was sent to Wellesley College, a boarding school. While at Wellesley, she attempted suicide as she was distraught and felt rejected by her parents and bullied by her peers. Later, she would recall that she knew she was a girl from a young age and would play-act the role when her parents weren’t around. They disapproved and disciplined her for acting like a girl.

After her mother separated from her stepfather, financial constraints caused Beyer to leave Wellesley. After bouncing around a few schools, she landed at Papatoetoe High School. She began acting at school, and at age sixteen, she dropped out to pursue acting and have the freedom to present as a girl.

Life’s Work

Beyer found that transitioning to a woman made her feel more complete, but she couldn’t find a job as a transgender woman. She decided she had two options—claim a “psychosexual disorder” to receive a government health benefit or work in the illegal sex trade. She chose the latter.

In 1979, Beyer, in her early twenties, was sexually assaulted by a group of men while visiting Sydney. Convinced that the police wouldn’t help a transgender Māori sex worker, she did not report the attack. In the months after the assault, Beyer suffered depression and was suicidal. However, when she recovered from the trauma, the experience gave her a sense of conviction that she needed to do something so others didn’t suffer the same fate.

Beyer eventually found work in New Zealand as a radio host, nightclub performer, and actor. At the high point of her acting career, she was nominated in 1987 for a GOFTA award for best female performance for the TV drama Jewel’s Darl. She underwent gender-affirming surgery in 1984.

In 1990, Beyer moved to Carterton, a rural community north of Wellington. She worked as a drama tutor and then became a member of the district council. She also served on the local school board. In 1995, she ran for mayor of Carterton. Despite its small conservative makeup, Carterton elected Beyer. She became the world’s first openly transgender mayor. She was re-elected in 1998 with 90 percent of the vote.

Beyer stood for a seat in parliament in 1999 as a Labour Party candidate for the Wairarapa electoral district. Surprising most, including herself, she beat popular National Party candidate Paul Henry by more than three thousand votes, becoming the world’s first openly transgender member of parliament. She was easily re-elected twice. During her time in Parliament, Beyer advocated for the LBGTQ+ community. She successfully spearheaded legislation that decriminalized sex work.

The breaking point of her political career came with the vote concerning the ownership of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed. Many Māori groups claimed rightful ownership based on historical claims and the Treaty of Waitangi. However, the Labour Party’s position was that the government had proper rights, allowing it to profit from the oil beneath the surface. Beyer wanted to abstain but ended up voting for the government’s rights, in line with her constituents’ wishes but against her own personal feelings. Later, she would express regret for her vote.

Frustrated, Beyer resigned from parliament on February 5, 2007. Although in 2014, she ran as the Mana candidate for the Te Tai Tonga electoral district, she later said she did it at the request of a friend and had no expectation of winning, which she did not.

Following her resignation from Parliament, Beyer struggled financially and, much to her embarrassment, had to apply for public assistance. In 2013, she was diagnosed with kidney failure. For the next four years, she was dependent on daily kidney dialysis. In 2017, she underwent a kidney transplant. Beyer’s health improved following the transplant but deteriorated after several years. She died at Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington on March 6, 2023.

Impact

Beyer paved the way for transgender people in New Zealand and worldwide. She was direct, bold, and unafraid. Her ability to speak truth to power on a platform as large as the New Zealand Parliament gave voice to the transgender community. She came from a humble upbringing to speak for many who do not have a voice.

Bibliography

Casey, Alex. “Georgina Beyer Still Has a Fire in Her Belly.” The Spinoff, 6 Mar. 2023, thespinoff.co.nz/society/06-03-2023/georgina-beyer-still-has-a-fire-in-her-belly. Accessed 30 June 2023.

Frost, Natasha. “Georgina Beyer, 65, Dies; Considered First Transgender Parliament Member.” New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/world/australia/georgina-beyer-dead.html. Accessed 30 June 2023.

Herkt, David. “Georgina Beyer: The Rise of a Warrior.” New Zealand Herald, 6 Mar. 2023, www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/georgina-beyer-from-boy-to-woman-to-warrior/Q5CKFBRQFFEJ5EPP7LAXQTLDFA/. Accessed 30 June 2023.

McClure, Tess. “Sex Worker, Survivor, Māori TV Star: World’s First Transgender MP Remembered as Trailblazer.” The Guardian, 6 Mar. 2023, www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/07/georgina-beyer-worlds-first-transgender-mp-remembered-as-trailblazer. Accessed 30 June 2023.

“World’s First Openly Transgender MP, Georgina Beyers, Dies in New Zealand, Aged 65.” The Guardian, 6 Mar. 2023, www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/06/worlds-first-openly-transgender-mp-georgina-beyer-dies-in-new-zealand-aged-65. Accessed 30 June 2023.