Contrary to speculative media reports at the time Georgina Beyer left Parliament recently, the ex-Rainbow Labour MP has now revealed she is not planning to stand for Mayor of Wellington in the upcoming local body elections. “No, I will not be standing as Mayor of Wellington,” she told the dinner party crowd last Thursday evening during her Gay Auckland Business Association ‘Queer of the Year' winner's speech. “I went away for a trip to Fiji about a month ago so I could think about all these things without distractions,” she elaborated. “I came to the conclusion that while I love Wellington very much, I don't live there, I live in the Wairarapa, in Carterton, and I don't particularly want to move away from there. “If I'm going to make a contribution to local Government, it'll be where I live.” Accepting the ‘Queer of the Year 2007' award in Auckland's Cornwall Park Sorrento Restaurant, she assured those gathered there her departure from Parliament doesn't mean she will stop being active. “I've got a good 25 year's work in me yet,” she smiled. “I still want to be a voice and an advocate when necessary… One of the great satisfying parts of the job was to stand up proudly in front of an audience of hundreds or thousands of people and be able to say ‘My name is Georgina Beyer, I am a proud transsexual from New Zealand. “I've been a Member of Parliament and a Mayor, and my country has provided me with all the rights of citizenship that I could possibly want to experience. “It wasn't always like that, but our country has seen change occur in the last 20 to 30 years that has provided us with a quality of life that many out there in the world could only wish, beg, and are striving to achieve.” Audio of her full acceptance speech is available to hear on our podcast page – follow the link below. Ref: GayNZ.com Podcast (m)