New Zealand Georgina Beyer, the first recognized transsexual parliamentarian in the world, died this Monday in a hospital due to health problems, as reported by the Wellington Parliament and sources close to the deputy.
Beyer, 65, who was also a pioneer when she became mayor in 1995, had suffered from kidney problems for years, although the cause of death at Mary Potter Hospital in Wellington has not been specified.
"Today we mourn the death of Georgina Beyer, the first openly transgender MP. Georgina has left a deep mark on Parliament and we extend our condolences to her loved ones," read a message from the New Zealand Parliament on Twitter.
A family friend, Scotty Kennedy, explained on Facebook that Beyer died surrounded by her friends and family and that, at the request of the deceased, a funeral will not be held but a memorial service will be held later.
According to Radio New Zealand, the former parliamentarian had suffered from chronic kidney disease since 2013 and had received daily dialysis ever since.
Beyer, of European and Maori descent, underwent a sex change operation in 1984 and worked as a presenter, drag queen and sex worker before winning mayoral elections in Carterton, a town in northern New Zealand, in 1995 and to be re-elected in 1998.
She resigned as mayor to run as a Labor Party candidate for Parliament in the 1999 election and won one seat, which she renewed in 2002 and 2005.
In her first inauguration speech, Beyer highlighted the historic moment in becoming the first trans MP. "I am the first transgender woman to take her seat in the New Zealand Parliament. This is not only groundbreaking in New Zealand, ladies and gentlemen, but also in the world. This is a historic moment," she said in the New Zealand Chamber.
The politician and activist, who recounted her life in the book Change for the Better (1999), has received mourning messages from numerous personalities in her country, including the Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, who highlighted her footprint in Parliament, "which paved the way for others."
New Zealand MP Shanan Halbert expressed his condolences on behalf of the Rainbow Labor Parliamentary Committee on LGBTI Affairs.
"She was a pioneer in the rainbow community by giving her voice and leadership to our community by becoming the first openly transgender MP. She was a champion of human rights and gender identity," Halbert said. "She will be sorely missed, not just in the rainbow community, but throughout New Zealand," she said.
