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WINDY CITY TIMES
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World's first transgender MP passes away at 65
2023-03-07
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This article shared 856 times since Tue Mar 7, 2023
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On March 6, Georgina Beyer—a pioneering New Zealand politician who, in 1999, became the world's first openly transgender member of Parliament—passed away at the age of 65.
Beyer's friends said she died peacefully in hospice care, ABC News reported. Although no cause of death was mentioned, Beyer previously suffered from kidney failure and underwent a kidney transplant in 2017.
Beyer, who was Maori, was a sex worker and nightclub performer before pivoting to politics. In 1995, she was elected mayor of the town of Carterton. Four years later, she won national office for the liberal Labour Party and remained a lawmaker until 2007.
She helped pass the landmark 2003 Prostitution Reform Act, which decriminalized sex work. In 2004, Beyer helped pass a law allowing same-sex civil unions. (Marriage equality became legal nine years later.)
Beyer was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 for services to the LGBTQ+ community, Reuters noted.
Many expressed their condolences on social media. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said of Beyer, "Her wit was legendary & a great asset in parliamentary debate. My thoughts are with Georgina's wider family & friends." And actress Lucy Lawless tweeted, "Shedding a tear over this one. I adored her. Adored her. Shine on, Georgina B!" |
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This article shared 856 times since Tue Mar 7, 2023
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