Georgina Beyers--a Parable of Our Times

Symptoms of the Body Politic

The media today carry the maudlin story of Georgina Beyers, who, since leaving Parliament has been unable to find work, and is contemplating a move to Australia. “She” complains that, although “she” has not been able to forge a new career in “her” first-choice direction of show business, “she” had expected that at the least “she” would be appointed to various state boards, quangos, or other regulatory or advisory bodies funded by tax.

Beyers, of course, claims to be the world's first transsexual in the world to be elected mayor, and the first transsexual in the world to be elected to Parliament. These claims are found on “her” website. We are not clear whether these claims have been recognised by the Guinness Book of Records.

The website also contains the de rigueur self-congratulatory and self-promoting eulogy to “her” political career.

I have retired from Parliament after serving more than seven years as an MP. Achieving everything I set out to do, including ensuring the survival and strengthening of Masterton's hospital, bringing government services back to heartland Wairarapa and the passing of the Prostitution Reform and Civil Unions Acts, has meant I can now look for fresh challenges. I'd like to thank everyone for their support over the years, especially the people of Carterton and Wairarapa.

Beyer has been one of the trophies of Athenian secular humanism. “Her” career to date has been such that she has served as a “poster boy/girl” for pretty much all that Athens stands for. "She" writes:

I was born in 1957, as I grew up I realised I was a woman trapped inside a male body. My book follows my rebirth, the time I worked as a stripper and prostitute in Wellington and Sydney before undergoing a full sex change operation in 1984. Since then my life has changed remarkably, I have worked as an actor, publicist and broadcaster, I was elected to the Carterton District Council in 1993, and became the first transsexual Mayor in the world in 1995.

What are the chances that a former prostitute could be elected a Member of Parliament, or of any parliament in the world, and what if that person were also a transsexual, the odds may seem insurmountable, but I am reported to be the world's first transsexual to hold such a position.
As a result of my election and intense media focus, I have had some unexpected and wonderful opportunities, much of this has come about from the filming and production of my documentary Georgie Girl, produced by Annie Goldson and Peter Wells.

Georgie Girl has been screened on POV in America to an audience of 15 million (potential audience of 250 million), on CBC Canada, Channel 4 in the UK, Scotland, Ireland and SBS in Australia.

Georgie Girl won 5 International Awards:
- Sydney International Film Festival - Audience Award Best Documentary
- San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival - Stu & Dave's Excellent Documentary Award
- Festival International de Films de Femmes de Créteil (France) - Audience Award
- Queer Doc Sydney Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - Audience Award
- Madrid Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - Best Documentary Public Award
- The Peace Foundation - Media Peace Award

“Her” parliamentary career was not particularly stellar, but “she” records the following:

1999 - 2002 served on the following Select Committees:
Law & Order Select Committee
Local Government & Environment Select Committee
MMP Review Select Committee - now disbanded with its work complete
Primary Production Select Committee
Also served on the following Labour caucus committees:
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Māori Caucus
Primary Production & Rural Affairs
Local Government, Environment, Broadcasting and Conservation
Arts Culture and Heritage
Rainbow Caucus Committee
Social Services, Justice Cultural Caucus Committee

Resigned as Mayor of Carterton in March 2000.
2002 re-elected Member of Parliament for Wairarapa with a majority of 6372.

2002 - 2005 served on the following Select Committees:
Law & Order Select Committee
Social Services Select Committee - As Chairperson
Also served on a variety of Labour caucus committees.

2005 re-entered Parliament as Labour Government Member of Parliament (list position 35).

2005 - 2006 served on the following Select Committees:
Chairperson of Social Services Select Committee
Member of Local Government and Environment Select Committee

Resigned from Parliament in February 2007

Now the trophy-”girl” has fallen on hard times. “Her” former colleagues apparently no longer want to know “her”. “She” has been used and tossed out. Not one of “her” former colleagues can find one little quango or tax payer funded perk to toss out as a sinecure or thank you.

It is hard to know whether to laugh or cry. If one were to laugh, it would be a kind of jeering, cynical affair along the lines of “welcome to the real world.” When the use-by date of a poster “girl” has passed, tough-luck. Join most of the rest of humanity having to struggle to make ends meet—although we are aware that Beyer could not really join most of the rest of humanity. They are busy bearing and caring for children, making a truly serious commitment to mankind. Their economic struggle is likely ten times greater than Beyer's will ever be. The hardest part of their lot is to make do in the face of an insatiable rapacious taxation system required to fund an ever burgeoning bludging state apparatus and its perpetual dependants--a system that Beyer happily endorsed and extended.

But if one were to cry, it would be a kind of tragic painful gasp. Here is a person whose life to this point has represented being given over to one's desires and being dominated by them. The world of Athens cheered and danced—for “she” was living out, like a saint, the very essence of Athenian religion: the idolisation of self, the actualisation of anomie, the very reification of sovereign individualism. And “she” was devoting “herself” to “public service” to prove that when one lives under the dominion of self, success will follow. But it turned out to be all an illusion. “She” has served “her” purposes to Athens; no-one wants a used up sacrifice to the gods. The grave mouth yawns; it will not be denied.

So, Georgina Beyers has become a tragic comedy. In tragic comedies, it is always the tragedy which dominates. The comedic aspects are cynical and bitter. The words of our Lord return to haunt: for what has it profited you, Georgina, if for a moment you gained the whole world, but in the gaining you lost your soul?

In the end, there is no laughter. Only deep sadness and mourning. For does not the Scripture say that the Lord Himself has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. “Turn to Me, turn to Me, for why would you die, O house of Israel?”