IGTA Worldwide Reports

NEW ZEALAND

-- from "Brenda Lana Smith" <[email protected]>lanetOut

http://www.planetout.com/pno/news/article.html?2000/02/09/

1st Transsexual MP's Maiden Speech

PlanetOut News Staff (with thanks to Graham Underhill)

Wednesday, February 9, 2000 / 11:04 PM

The world's 1st transsexual Member of Parliament championed l/g/b/t rights in her introductory address, but said her Wairarapa, New Zealand constituency would be her top priority. Georgina Beyer, the world's first transsexual to be elected a Member of Parliament, delivered her "maiden" speech to the New Zealand Parliament on February 8. By tradition, first-time MPs are allowed ten minutes to introduce themselves to their colleagues uninterrupted. The Labour MP for Wairarapa was also the world's first transsexual mayor. Beyer's autobiography "Change for the Better" was published during her campaign for parliament and was perfectly frank not only about her personal pain growing up male, but about her troubled life as a stripper and sex worker, before she turned her
life around to undergo sex reassignment surgery in 1984 and become an entertainer, film actress, activist for several causes, and politician.

She spoke without a written text, saying, "I have to speak from the heart, and I have to be genuine about that." "Mr. Speaker, I can't help but mention the number of firsts that are in this Parliament. Our first Rastafarian ... our first Polynesian 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," said Beyer in the latter part of her speech. "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. "In the Labour Party I share a keen interest in human rights from the aspect of gay, lesbian, and transgender communities in this country, and I know I will be joining my colleagues [openly gay MPs] Chris Carter and Tim Barnett in looking at those issues that are important. In fact, they are not so different in many respects from any other issue that we in New Zealand are all concerned about -- health, education, training, employment -- and a few other niggly ones that are just a little unusual. We will certainly be trying to inform people better." Beyer joked, "I was quoted once as saying that 'This was the stallion that became a gelding, and now she's a mayor.' I suppose I do have to say that I have now found myself to be a Member! So I have come full circle, so to speak," which reportedly brought down the house, although she went on to add that she did not mean to degrade the House but hoped her colleagues would appreciate her sense of humor. arlier in her speech she spoke of another aspect of her identity, saying, "I also would like to acknowledge my heritage. I am proud to be a New Zealander of Maori descent, primarily the iwi [people] of Te Atiawa, Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Porou -- and that should be quite enough for anybody, I would have thought! I have to say that the strength and the aroha [love, affection] that I hope to bring to this House will be forged from those heritages and whakapapa links. They are important to me." Beyer also expressed particular gratitude to her "auntie," actually her cousin, the late Hana Te Hemara, "a woman who was important to Maoridom" as well as to Beyer herself. She recalled arriving in rural Wairarapa in 1990 after living in the cities of Auckland and Wellington; she was unemployed but was able to receive a training benefit and attend a training program. She said, "If there was one thing that I came to learn was vitally important, it was the sense of community that existed. I was welcomed into that community and given opportunity in it, and I felt an obligation to reciprocate by some form of service to help others. In that respect, I eventually found myself standing for the local District Council. ... I stood for the Council, because the effects of the 1991 Budget had been quite devastating on low-income people and those on a benefit in areas like the Wairarapa. I went out to bat for them as best I could... It was quite upsetting to see that small communities could be so negatively affected. But I learned that the spirit of community is one that makes sure that in the hardest of times people pull together, and in their togetherness they look for leadership amongst their people so that they can take their concerns, their aspirations, their ideas, and their demands to the authorities that have such effect on their lives. "In our particular case at that
time, the local authority, the Carterton District Council, seemed to beckon me to enter into that chamber. I was elected as a Councilor in 1993 in a by-election and in 1995 I became its Mayor -- a position I proudly say I still holld today after my re-election in 1998. I had to earn the respect of the people who gave me that responsibility, and my position as Mayor was endorsed in the 1996 election with a 90% majority in my favor. Coming to Parliament seemed a natural progression in the eyes of others. I was not quite so sure, but I have now come to learn that I should be very sure of that." Beyer particularly thanked former Labour MP Sonya Davies, "a New Zealand icon," for encouraging and supporting Beyer in making the move from local to national politics. "My primary reason for being here is that I am now the elected representative of the Wairarapa electorate," she said early in her speech. She noted that, "It was a stunning victory to say the least ... That was quite remarkable in a seat that was considered to be rural conservative heartland New Zealand and a stronghold for the National Party." And again near the end of her speech, she reaffirmed that, "My priority in my tenure in this House will be my electorate." The bulk of her speech was devoted to the needs and prospects of the Wairarapa, common to other rural areas, and to the impact of national government decisions there for good and ill. In winding up, Beyer said, "I will stand accountable ... I will front up. I will make sure that I do the best I can on the electorate's behalf. There are many issues and we will all tackle them. I welcome the warmth I have actually felt from all sides of this House since I have been here. I am not one who wants to sit here and be confrontational ... We all have to get on and work for the benefit of our nation. That is what we will do and that is what I want to achieve as a person. We will go forward. We will make a difference."

END