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This report on International Women's Day comes from Sheilah Downs who writes:
"Our Club of Lower Hutt has just held a very successful IWD Breakfast with over 70 people present. Included were a number of students from local high schools and colleges.
Georgina Beyer is a most interesting person, a trans-sexual who was brought up as a man but who 'changed sex' in the early 60's. She has worked in the sex
industry, the theatre, television and radio and is a great personality.
She is also highly respected as a politician, having entered local
policitcs in the early 1990's. In 1995 she was elected Mayor of her town
with 48% majority, re-elected in 1998 with 90% majority!
In 1999 she stood for parliament and was elected with a major swing from
the ruling National (conservative) party to Labour.
Our guest speaker was Georgina Beyer M P, who represents a rural area close to the capital of Wellington. Shown on the photograph is Joy Clark, President of SI Lower Hutt sitting next to the guest speaker.
"Georgina Beyer told us this morning that in her first term as an MP she had found
herself bowing to the pressures of parliament and toeing the party line.
She had later felt ashamed of herself and felt that she could not continue
in her role as an MP. When she announced that she would not run in the
next election, her constituents and many members of the public were so upset at her decision, they asked to reconsider. She subsequently did this and was re-elected with double the majority of the previous election.
Sheilah writes further:
"I suggested to her this morning that there was no mystery as to why she had gained such a huge majority - simply that she was an honest person who had stood by her principles - something not often found in a politician - and the public had recognised this! We had quite a laugh about it, along
with policiticans in general!"
