Georgina Beyer was the world’s first openly transsexual mayor (Mayor of Carterton), and the world’s first openly transsexual member of Parliament.
She played a key role in helping to pass the decriminalisation of prostitution, and the Civil Union Act of 2004 as well as advocating for the acknowledgement of trans people in the NZ Human Rights Act.
Most recently, on October 23 2018, Beyer was invited to speak at Oxford University’s debating society Oxford Union, and at Cambridge University on October 31 2018.