Georgina Beyer
Encyclopedia
Georgina Beyer was the world's first openly transsexual mayor, as well as the world's first openly transsexual Member of Parliament
, and from 27 November 1999 until 14 February 2007 was an MP for the Labour Party
in New Zealand
.
at birth, and given the name George, in 1957 at Wellington Hospital
to Jack Bertrand and Noeline (née Tamati). She was named after her maternal grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel George Bertrand, who was second in command in the Māori Battalion
. Her parents were living in Hataitai
at the time of her birth. She is of Te Āti Awa
, Ngāti Mutunga
, Ngāti Raukawa
, and Ngāti Porou
descent. Her mother had a second child to her first husband in December 1958 – Karen. She was adopted out and none of the family knew that Noeline had been pregnant a second time. Georgina, then known as George, Bertrand was sent to live with her grandparents on their farm in Taranaki during the second pregnancy. Her parents divorced by 1962.
Her mother married again in 1962. Her second husband was Colin Beyer
, a recent law school graduate. The couple moved to Upper Hutt
. Georgina aka George Bertrand, now aged four and a half years, returned to live with her mother and stepfather. A brother, Andrew, was born in December 1963. Georgina aka George Bertrand attended Upper Hutt Primary School and from age seven, after the family moved to the Wellington suburb of Crofton Downs, Ngaio School. With marital problems developing, Georgina aka George was sent to Wellesley College
boarding school, where she tried to commit suicide amid feelings of rejection by her parents. From Form 2, she attended the school as a day pupil, as the hostel had closed. After her parents' marriage failed in 1971, financial constraints meant that a private school was no longer affordable, and Georgina aka George attended Onslow College
in Form 3. Noeline Beyer with Andrew and Georgina aka George then moved to Papatoetoe
to be near family (her brother Raymond lived there, and her sister Joan lived in Glenfield
) and friends, with Georgina aka George attending Papatoetoe High School
. Before enrolment, a name change by deed poll from 'George Bertrand' to 'George Beyer' meant that the difference in family name did not have to be explained at school. It was also seen as socially advantageous for Georgina aka George to be linked to her successful father. Beyer began acting while at that school and decided to make a career out of it, leaving school at 16 (against her mother's will).
She lived in Australia for some time, and on her return to New Zealand began seeking work as an actor
with increasing success, culminating in a Gofta award nomination for "Jewel's Darl" in 1987. In 1984 she underwent sex reassignment surgery
.
After shifting to Carterton
, in the Wairarapa
, she worked as a radio
host. Beyer was the local news presenter and part of the inaugural breakfast crew on Paul Henry's Radio Station - TODAY FM WAIRARAPA 89.3.
, first winning election to a local school board, and subsequently being elected mayor of Carterton in 1995, serving in that role until 2000. This made her the world's first transsexual mayor
.
Paul Henry to win the Wairarapa electorate
for Labour
and become the world's first transsexual MP
.
In a December 2002 interview, Beyer said: “I get asked questions no other politician would ever have to answer. Regarding the surgery, you know. ‘Did it hurt?’, or, ‘When you have sex now as a woman, is it different to how you had sex as a man?’ Well, honey, obviously.”
: Queer Students Association national conference at Waikato University
, Hamilton
, where she reiterated her support for the Civil Union Bill. She stated that she did not believe that gay marriage would be legal in New Zealand for at least 20 years, and feared that gay
and lesbian
New Zealanders were facing a turbulent time in which rights gained since homosexual law reform
in 1986 would be questioned and attacked. She became emotional while referring to her internal battle between her membership of the New Zealand Parliament, which she described as the world's oldest "true" democracy
, and her Māori heritage, when it came to the Seabed and foreshore legislation of May 2004.
" to the Human Rights Act 1993, and thereby prohibit discrimination against people because of their gender identity. The Bill had been Labour Party
policy in the 1999 and 2002 election manifestos, and had attracted controversy. Beyer maintained that the Bill ensured human rights for transgendered people, and merely clarified existing provisions of the law. In 2006, the acting Solicitor-General wrote a legal opinion that indicated that transgendered people were already within the ambit of the Human Rights Act, and Beyer withdrew her Bill.
. Tension with her electorate committee, which opposed Beyer's views on the seabed and foreshore, may also have contributed to the decision. In September, Beyer changed her mind. She announced that she would seek a position on the Labour
list, without recontesting the Wairarapa seat. She stated that a rally by the conservative Destiny Church
the previous month had influenced her decision, as she believed that the message of such rallies must be opposed.
Beyer resigned from parliament effective from 15 February 2007, and gave her valedictory speech to Parliament on the previous day. The vacant list position was filled by Lesley Soper
.
In 2010, Beyer stated that she was struggling financially since leaving politics and was applying for welfare. She is currently unemployed.
in 2006 and the Second in Copenhagen
in 2009, as well as for the Egale Canada
Human Rights Trust's annual Gala, held in Toronto on September 24, 2010.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, and from 27 November 1999 until 14 February 2007 was an MP for the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Early life
Georgina Bertrand was born and assigned maleMale
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
at birth, and given the name George, in 1957 at Wellington Hospital
Wellington Hospital, New Zealand
Wellington Hospital is Wellington, New Zealand's main hospital located in the suburb of Newtown. It is the main hospital run by Capital & Coast District Health Board , the others including Kapiti Health Centre, and Kenepuru Hospital...
to Jack Bertrand and Noeline (née Tamati). She was named after her maternal grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel George Bertrand, who was second in command in the Māori Battalion
Maori Battalion
The 28th Battalion, more commonly known as the Māori Battalion, was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand Army that served during the Second World War. It was formed following pressure on the Labour government by some Māori MPs and Māori organisations throughout the country wanting a full Māori...
. Her parents were living in Hataitai
Hataitai
Hataitai is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, 3.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre. The suburb extends over the southeastern flank of Mount Victoria and down a valley between the Town Belt and a ridge along the shoreline of Evans Bay...
at the time of her birth. She is of Te Āti Awa
Te Ati Awa
Te Āti Awa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Taranaki and Wellington regions of New Zealand. Approximately 17,000 people registered their affiliation to Te Āti Awa in 2001, with around 10,000 in Taranaki, 2,000 in Wellington and around 5,000 of unspecified regional location.-Geographical...
, Ngāti Mutunga
Ngati Mutunga
Ngāti Mutunga is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. Their tribal lands are in north Taranaki, with the principal marae being at Urenui.Prominent leader and anthropologist Te Rangi Hīroa was of Ngāti Mutunga descent.-External links:*...
, Ngāti Raukawa
Ngati Raukawa
Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupo and Manawatū/Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa.- Early History :...
, and Ngāti Porou
Ngati Porou
Ngāti Porou is a Māori iwi traditionally located in the East Cape and Gisborne regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Ngāti Porou has the second-largest affiliation of any iwi in New Zealand, with 71,910 registered members in 2006...
descent. Her mother had a second child to her first husband in December 1958 – Karen. She was adopted out and none of the family knew that Noeline had been pregnant a second time. Georgina, then known as George, Bertrand was sent to live with her grandparents on their farm in Taranaki during the second pregnancy. Her parents divorced by 1962.
Her mother married again in 1962. Her second husband was Colin Beyer
Colin Beyer
Colin Andrew Nielsen Beyer, LL.B. , is a prominent lawyer who was a partner and then consultant with Simpson Grierson in Wellington, New Zealand. He is a prominent businessman with many governance positions. He was a Securities Commissioner on the Securities Commission of New Zealand from 2001...
, a recent law school graduate. The couple moved to Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...
. Georgina aka George Bertrand, now aged four and a half years, returned to live with her mother and stepfather. A brother, Andrew, was born in December 1963. Georgina aka George Bertrand attended Upper Hutt Primary School and from age seven, after the family moved to the Wellington suburb of Crofton Downs, Ngaio School. With marital problems developing, Georgina aka George was sent to Wellesley College
Wellesley College (New Zealand)
Wellesley College is a boys-only independent primary school in Day's Bay, Eastbourne, New Zealand.-History:Day's Bay House was built in 1903 for the Wellington Steam Ferry Company Limited which had made the heart of Day's Bay a destination resort and sports complex...
boarding school, where she tried to commit suicide amid feelings of rejection by her parents. From Form 2, she attended the school as a day pupil, as the hostel had closed. After her parents' marriage failed in 1971, financial constraints meant that a private school was no longer affordable, and Georgina aka George attended Onslow College
Onslow College
Onslow College is a decile 10 co-educational state secondary school located in Johnsonville, a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. The school opened in 1956 to serve the city's rapidly-growing northern suburbs. The new Principal will be Mr. Peter Leggat, and he will begin at the start of the School...
in Form 3. Noeline Beyer with Andrew and Georgina aka George then moved to Papatoetoe
Papatoetoe
Papatoetoe is a suburb in the Auckland conurbation in northern New Zealand. One of the larger suburbs of the area commonly known as South Auckland, it is located to the northwest of central Manukau, and 18 kilometres southeast of Auckland city centre....
to be near family (her brother Raymond lived there, and her sister Joan lived in Glenfield
Glenfield, New Zealand
Glenfield is a suburb of North Shore, one of several cities in the Auckland metropolitan area in northern New Zealand. It is located to the north of the Waitemata Harbour, nine kilometres northwest of the Auckland city centre....
) and friends, with Georgina aka George attending Papatoetoe High School
Papatoetoe High School
Papatoetoe High School is a secondary school in Papatoetoe suburb of Manukau city, Auckland Region, New Zealand.PHS hosts a satellite unit of the Kelston Deaf Education Centre, including a full-time educational interpreter....
. Before enrolment, a name change by deed poll from 'George Bertrand' to 'George Beyer' meant that the difference in family name did not have to be explained at school. It was also seen as socially advantageous for Georgina aka George to be linked to her successful father. Beyer began acting while at that school and decided to make a career out of it, leaving school at 16 (against her mother's will).
She lived in Australia for some time, and on her return to New Zealand began seeking work as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
with increasing success, culminating in a Gofta award nomination for "Jewel's Darl" in 1987. In 1984 she underwent sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
.
After shifting to Carterton
Carterton, New Zealand
Carterton is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District. It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. It is located southwest of Masterton and northeast of Wellington...
, in the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
, she worked as a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
host. Beyer was the local news presenter and part of the inaugural breakfast crew on Paul Henry's Radio Station - TODAY FM WAIRARAPA 89.3.
Local politics
She also began to take an interest in local politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, first winning election to a local school board, and subsequently being elected mayor of Carterton in 1995, serving in that role until 2000. This made her the world's first transsexual mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
.
Parliament
In 1999 she surprised the political commentators by beating National'sNew Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
Paul Henry to win the Wairarapa electorate
Wairarapa (New Zealand electorate)
Wairarapa is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It was first created in 1859 and existed until 1881. It was recreated in 1887 and has since existed continuously...
for Labour
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
and become the world's first transsexual MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
In a December 2002 interview, Beyer said: “I get asked questions no other politician would ever have to answer. Regarding the surgery, you know. ‘Did it hurt?’, or, ‘When you have sex now as a woman, is it different to how you had sex as a man?’ Well, honey, obviously.”
Maiden speech
Traditionally, newly-elected MPs have the floor for 10 minutes to introduce themselves to their colleagues. An excerpt from her speech follows:- Mr. Speaker, I can't help but mention the number of firsts that are in this Parliament. Our first RastafarianRastafari movementThe Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
[Nándor TánczosNandor TanczosNándor Steven Tánczos , a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1999 to 2008, represented the Green Party as a list MP. He briefly lost his seat in the 2005 General Election, but returned to Parliament following the sudden death of Rod Donald just prior to the first sitting of Parliament, as he...
]… our first PolynesiaPolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
n woman… and yes, I have to say it, I guess, I am the first transsexual in New Zealand to be standing in this House of Parliament. This is a first not only in New Zealand, ladies and gentlemen, but also in the world. This is an historic moment. We need to acknowledge that this country of ours leads the way in so many aspects. We have led the way for women getting the vote. We have led the way in the past, and I hope we will do so again in the future in social policy and certainly in human rights.
Political views
In June 2004, Beyer spoke at the UniQUniQ
In New Zealand, UniQ is the Queer Students Association at New Zealand Tertiary Institutions.UniQ is active at most New Zealand universities and several polytechnics...
: Queer Students Association national conference at Waikato University
University of Waikato
The University of Waikato is located in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management...
, Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, where she reiterated her support for the Civil Union Bill. She stated that she did not believe that gay marriage would be legal in New Zealand for at least 20 years, and feared that gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
New Zealanders were facing a turbulent time in which rights gained since homosexual law reform
Homosexual Law Reform Act
The New Zealand Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986 is a law that legalised consensual sex between men aged 16 and older. It removed the provisions of the Crimes Act 1961 that criminalised this behaviour.-Background:...
in 1986 would be questioned and attacked. She became emotional while referring to her internal battle between her membership of the New Zealand Parliament, which she described as the world's oldest "true" democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, and her Māori heritage, when it came to the Seabed and foreshore legislation of May 2004.
Human Rights and Gender Identity
In 2004, a bill in Beyer's name was drawn from the ballot for members' bills, and introduced to Parliament. The Bill was intended to add "gender identityGender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
" to the Human Rights Act 1993, and thereby prohibit discrimination against people because of their gender identity. The Bill had been Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
policy in the 1999 and 2002 election manifestos, and had attracted controversy. Beyer maintained that the Bill ensured human rights for transgendered people, and merely clarified existing provisions of the law. In 2006, the acting Solicitor-General wrote a legal opinion that indicated that transgendered people were already within the ambit of the Human Rights Act, and Beyer withdrew her Bill.
Retirement
In early 2004, Beyer announced that she would not stand in the 2005 electionsNew Zealand general election, 2005
The 2005 New Zealand general election held on 17 September 2005 determined the composition of the 48th New Zealand Parliament. No party won a majority in the unicameral House of Representatives, but the Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark secured two more seats than nearest rival, the...
. Tension with her electorate committee, which opposed Beyer's views on the seabed and foreshore, may also have contributed to the decision. In September, Beyer changed her mind. She announced that she would seek a position on the Labour
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
list, without recontesting the Wairarapa seat. She stated that a rally by the conservative Destiny Church
Destiny Church, New Zealand
Destiny Church is a Pentecostal fundamentalist Christian movement, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. The church advocates strict adherence to biblical morality, and is notable for its position against homosexuality, its patriarchal views and for its calls for a return to biblical conservative...
the previous month had influenced her decision, as she believed that the message of such rallies must be opposed.
Beyer resigned from parliament effective from 15 February 2007, and gave her valedictory speech to Parliament on the previous day. The vacant list position was filled by Lesley Soper
Lesley Soper
Lesley Soper is a New Zealand politician.-Political career:She was a Labour Party list member of Parliament for several months in 2005, replacing Jonathan Hunt, and she returned to Parliament in 2007 to fill the vacancy caused by Georgina Beyer's resignation.Soper is a member of the Labour Party,...
.
In 2010, Beyer stated that she was struggling financially since leaving politics and was applying for welfare. She is currently unemployed.
Public speaking
Beyer was a keynote speaker at the First International Conference on LGBT Human Rights in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 2006 and the Second in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 2009, as well as for the Egale Canada
Egale Canada
Egale Canada is an advocacy organization founded in 1986 to advance equality for Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families, across Canada....
Human Rights Trust's annual Gala, held in Toronto on September 24, 2010.
Political offices
Further reading
- Beyer's contribution is a rendition of George GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's SummertimeSummertime (song)"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
(from Porgy and BessPorgy and BessPorgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
)
- Beyer's contribution is entitled: "Of two spirits."
- Beyer, Georgina; Casey, Cathy (1999), Change for the better: the story of Georgina Beyer , Auckland, New Zealand: Random House, ISBN 1-869-41371-7
- She'll be right - Georgina Beyer keeps it Kiwi by Matt Akersten, 23 November 2008