Georgina Beyer follows footsteps of political giants, speaking at Oxford Union

October 24, 2018

Ms Beyer used a rare invitation to speak at Britain’s Oxford union to attack President Trump’s stance on transgender issues.

The world's first openly transgender mayor and mp, Georgina Beyer, has today followed in the footsteps of political giants, after speaking at a prestigious debating event in the UK.

Ms Beyer used a rare invitation to Britain's Oxford Union, which has hosted world leaders in various fields for nearly 200 years, to attack US President Donald Trump's stance on transgender issues.

Today she  followed in the footsteps of three Kiwi leaders who have been union guest speakers in the past, including, former prime ministers David Lange, Helen Clark, and sex workers' rights activist Dame Catherine Healey.

However, Ms Beyer has also become the first Māori to be invited to talk about being the world's first transgender mayor and member of parliament.

"It's significant - and no, no pressure," she said of the achievement.

The Oxford Union is the 60-year-old's first major event since her kidney transplant last year after years of ill health.

Ms Beyer used the platform to voice her concerns following news the US president's administration is considering making a person's recorded gender at birth unchangeable.

"We will not be erased; I certainly can't be erased. I'm a piece of history. It's real, Donald - I'm not gonna change it," she said.

The UK government is currently reviewing its Gender Recognition Act and how it documents and records gender identity, making tonight's address all the more topical.

Oxford Union president Stephen Horvath said, "I think people know that New Zealand's had quite a track record of being a progressive nation that has lead the way at quite a lot of landmarks.

"As these issues are being hotly debated in the United Kingdom, we'd like to see what parallels we can learn from debates in New Zealand."

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