Georgina Beyer, a transsexual lawmaker in New Zealand, resigned mid-term last week from her post in parliament. She was vague about her reasons for stepping down.
(Photo courtesy of New Zealand Parliament)
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Friday, February 23, 2007
WELLINGTON,
New
Zealand
(AP)
—
A
politician
claiming
to
be
the
world’s
first
transsexual
elected
to
a
national
Parliament
bowed
out
of
New
Zealand’s
House
of
Representatives
last
week,
saying
her
biggest
achievement
was
winning
her
conservative
rural
seat
in
1999.
Georgina
Beyer
said
she
started
life
as
a
boy
named
George
before
becoming
a
male
prostitute,
having
a
sex
change
operation
and
continuing
to
work,
as
a
female
prostitute.
“The
first
transsexual
in
the
world
to
be
elected
to
a
Parliament
...
it
was
inspirational
in
itself,”
center-left
Labour
Party
lawmaker
Beyer
said.
She
did
not
give
a
specific
reason
for
stepping
down
before
her
term
ends
in
2008,
but
hinted
she
might
contest
the
mayoral
election
in
the
capital,
Wellington,
later
in
2007.
“I
have
been
pleased
and
proud
to
be
a
positive
participant
in
our
society.
I
am
so
glad
that
I
have
been
able
to
redeem
my
more
lurid
past
and
practice
proper
rights
of
being
a
citizen
of
this
country,”
she
said.
Chinese
AIDS
activist
says
gov’t
will
allow
her
to
visit
U.S.
BEIJING
(AP)
—
An
elderly
Chinese
doctor
who
embarrassed
the
government
by
exposing
blood-selling
schemes
that
infected
thousands
with
HIV
said
last
week
that
communist
authorities
had
relented
and
will
allow
her
to
travel
to
an
awards
ceremony
in
the
United
States.
The
change
comes
after
police
in
central
Henan
province
had
patrolled
outside
the
home
of
Gao
Yaojie,
80,
for
the
last
two
weeks,
preventing
her
from
leaving
and
stopping
everyone
except
close
relatives
from
visiting.
“This
morning
I
went
downstairs
but
I
did
not
see
any
police,”
said
Gao,
who
added
she
did
not
know
why
the
government
had
changed
its
mind.
Gao
is
to
be
honored
next
month
by
Vital
Voices
Global
Partnership.
She
had
apparently
been
detained
by
authorities
at
her
home
to
prevent
her
from
applying
for
a
U.S.
visa.
But
Gao
said
she
now
expects
to
pick
up
the
visa
and
leave
for
the
U.S.
on
Sunday.
Gay
couples
celebrate
civil
unions
in
Mexico
MEXICO
CITY
(AP)
—
More
than
100
Mexican
gay
couples
celebrated
their
registrations
for
civil
unions
last
week
in
the
capital
city’s
central
plaza,
wearing
suits
and
wedding
dresses
and
throwing
rice
in
a
scene
akin
to
a
mass
engagement
party.
The
couples
noted
their
intent
with
the
non-government
Citizens
Civil
Union
Network
ahead
of
a
law
allowing
gay
couples
to
register
their
unions
and
gain
many
of
the
rights
of
married
couples.
Mexico
City,
a
semi-independent
capital
zone
that
has
some
of
the
same
powers
as
state
legislatures,
approved
the
law
in
November.
It
takes
effect
March
16.
Mexico’s
northern
state
of
Coahuila,
bordering
Texas,
has
already
enacted
a
similar
law.
Moscow
official
stresses
city
will
not
allow
gay
parade
MOSCOW
(AP)
—
Moscow
will
not
allow
a
gay
rights
parade
this
spring,
a
senior
city
official
said
last
week,
and
he
equated
homosexuality
with
alcoholism,
the
RIA-Novosti
news
agency
reported.
The
city’s
mayor
had
previously
said
the
event
would
not
be
held.
“There
is
the
hard
line
of
the
city
authorities
and
the
position
of
our
main
faith,
the
Russian
Orthodox
Church
...
of
the
inadmissibility
of
such
an
event
in
Moscow,”
RIA-Novosti
quoted
the
head
of
the
city’s
international
relations
department,
Georgy
Muradov,
as
saying.
Mayor
Yuri
Luzhkov
and
city
authorities
barred
gay
rights
activists
from
staging
a
parade
last
year,
citing
the
threat
of
violence,
but
activists
ignored
the
ban
and
were
attacked
by
right-wing
protesters
and
detained
by
police.
Last
month,
Luzhkov
vowed
never
to
allow
a
gay
rights
parade,
calling
such
events
“satanic.”
Russian
gay
activists
pledged
to
hold
a
march
in
May.
Nigerian
lawmakers
seek
to
ban
all
gay
expression
ABUJA,
Nigeria
(AP)
—
Nigeria’s
National
Assembly
held
public
hearings
last
week
on
a
bill
to
ban
gay
marriage
and
criminalize
virtually
all
forms
of
gay
expression
in
Nigeria,
with
lawmakers
hoping
for
a
vote
before
April
general
elections.
The
bill
lays
down
penalties
of
up
to
five
years
for
anyone
watching
or
reading
material
deemed
to
be
pro-gay
either
in
public
or
in
their
own
homes,
and
forbids
meetings
between
two
gay
people.
In
part,
the
proposed
bill
reads:
“Any
person
who
is
involved
in
the
registration
of
gay
clubs,
societies
and
organizations,
sustenance,
procession
or
meetings,
publicity
and
public
show
of
same
sex
amorous
relationship
directly
or
indirectly
in
public
and
in
private
is
guilty
of
an
offense
and
liable
on
conviction
to
a
term
of
five
years
imprisonment.”
Backers
of
the
legislation
said
gay
acts,
which
are
already
illegal
in
Nigeria,
run
counter
to
cultural
and
religious
mores
in
the
deeply
traditional
West
African
nation.
Human
rights
officials
said
the
law,
which
would
mandate
prison
sentences
to
anyone
participating
in
gay
marriages,
would
curtail
Nigerians’
rights.
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