Georgina Beyer made history many times during her life. She is remembered as the first transgender person elected mayor anywhere in the world and later as the world’s first openly transgender member of parliament.
In 2020, Queen Elizabeth II recognised Beyer’s contributions to New Zealand by awarding her the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to LGBTQ+ rights and local government.
She served as Mayor of Carterton from 1995 to 2000 and was the Member of Parliament for Wairarapa from 1999 to 2007.
During her time in parliament, Beyer was a member of the New Zealand Labour Party and served on several select committees, including the Health Committee and the Justice and Electoral Committee.
This post was first published in 2023 and subsequently updated.
