As part of Project Uplift (the refurbishment of the Rainbow Room) a documentary was produced by the Office of the Clerk/Parliamentary Service to tell the story of the room. The individual interviews were also published online under a Creative Commons licence CC-BY 4.0. A special thank you to the Office of the Clerk/Parliamentary Service for allowing Georgina's interview to be reproduced. The mp3 files on this page contain just the audio element of the video interview.
Summary
This summary pertains to the audio recording titled "Georgina Beyer - Rainbow Voices of Aotearoa New Zealand," which was recorded in the Rainbow Room of New Zealand's Parliament buildings on March 7, 2019. The speaker, Georgina Beyer, discusses their experiences and contributions as a trailblazing political figure in New Zealand.
The summary provides an overview of Beyer's journey to becoming the world's first openly transgender individual elected to Parliament, as well as serving as the Mayor of Carterton prior to that. Beyer expresses pride in being supported by the people of Wairarapa, a conservative electorate, and underscores the importance of acknowledging the challenges faced by transgender individuals who could not be open about their identity.
During their first term in Parliament, Beyer was involved in significant legislation, including the Civil Union Act and the Prostitution Reform Act. Beyer supported the Civil Union Act, partnering with colleague Tim Barnett and activist Dame Catherine Healy. They highlight a particularly challenging moment when confronting opposition during the 'Enough is Enough March' led by the Destiny Church. Despite the adversarial atmosphere, Beyer stood their ground, defending the rights of the rainbow community.
Beyer goes on to discuss the transformation in societal attitudes, citing the eventual support for marriage equality from unlikely figures such as John Banks and Lockwood Smith. The speaker considers these changes as indicative of the progress towards equality and recognition of diverse communities in New Zealand, highlighting the eventual shift in public opinion and legislative progress.
Beyer also reflects on the Prostitution Reform Act, drawing on their personal history as a former sex worker to advocate for the legislation which aimed to improve health, safety, and human rights within the sex industry. Beyer stands by the act, which remains on the statute books, as a positive regulation of the sex industry.
In addition to their legislative work, Beyer served as the chairperson of the Social Services Select Committee for three years and was a member of the Primary Production Select Committee. Beyer notes the significance of the Rainbow Room within Parliament, established discreetly to avoid controversy with the aim of representing the rainbow community in a tangible way.
This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.
Voices
Tags (computer generated)
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