Georgie has blazed the trail for others to follow

Georgina Beyer achieved global firsts. PHOTO/FILE

Last week I was honoured to attend a special occasion in Wellington - a tribute and fundraiser for my friend and former parliamentary colleague Georgina Beyer - known to many of us affectionately as Georgie.

I first met Georgie when she entered Parliament in 1999 as a Labour Party MP when I was still in the Labour Party. Already a trail-blazer, Georgie had become the first Maori, the first woman and the first transgender person to become mayor of Carterton, in fact the first transgender person to ever become a mayor in the world. She then also became the first transgender MP in Parliament - again a global first.

Georgina is living an extraordinary life. As a transgender woman, she has taken a leading role in advocating for the rights of gay and transgender people. She helped shape ground-breaking legislation such as prostitution reforms and civil union relationships and was a spokeswoman internationally for transgender human rights.

She has been an actress, a writer, a patron of groups such as Rainbow Youth as well as the Frontier and Western Shooting Sports Association. She has co-written her biography and there has been a film made about her life. Throughout her life, she has continued to challenge prejudice and injustice particularly for the gay and transgender communities.

Assigned as a male at birth, Georgina eventually chose to become female and fought the subsequent intolerance from family and the wider community for being different.

Georgie has been a great friend and support to others who have also stood out for having different views. I will never forget the fallout that occurred after the Labour Party introduced its legislation to prevent Maori from testing their customary rights to the foreshore and seabed in the courts. I will always be grateful to Georgie for supporting me in my decision to cross the floor - despite the political consequences that support may have meant for her.

We both agreed that the 2004 legislation was the latest act of confiscation of our lands but Georgie faced an irreconcilable conflict of a constituency in Wairarapa that asked her to support the legislation. That did not stop her from supporting me. I was out in the political wilderness at that particular point and, when things got really tough for me, Georgie was always there. She came to Ratana Pa to stand alongside me when I resigned from Labour. I will never forget that support, and neither will my family or my hapu and iwi.

The tribute fundraiser for Georgie last week was well attended with people from all walks of life there to show their support for one who has given much to the community and who paved the way for those who were different to be accepted. I was honoured to be able to escort Georgie to the event.

It was heart-breaking to learn of her debilitating illness, which has meant daily kidney dialysis and regular visits to the hospital. We are all hoping that Georgie will get the kidney she needs. The call to have a tribute evening in her honour attracted not only her friends and family and current and former parliamentarians from all parties - but also those who may not necessarily have supported the transgender or gay communities. They were still able to put aside their different views to support the kaupapa and wish Georgie well in her pursuit of better health.

I will always admire Georgie's ability to be true to herself. To live the life that she wanted to live by taking that courageous step that would allow her to make the transformation from male to female. A proud Maori woman of Te Ati Awa, Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Porou descent raised by her extended whanau in Taranaki that helped shape who she is today.