Story: Hōkakatanga – Māori sexualities

Carmen and Georgina Beyer

Carmen and Georgina Beyer

Carmen and Georgina Beyer were two of New Zealand’s most well-known transgender people, and both were of Māori descent. Carmen, New Zealand's first iconic drag queen, came to prominence in New Zealand and Australia in the 1970s. Beyer became the world’s first openly transgender mayor when she was elected mayor of Carterton in 1995. In 1999 she won the seat of Wairarapa, becoming the world's first openly transgender MP.

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New Zealand Herald
Reference: 101006NZHMMCARMEN1.JPG
Photograph by Mark Mitchell

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How to cite this page:

Clive Aspin, 'Hōkakatanga – Māori sexualities - Sexual diversity in contemporary Māori society', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/31713/carmen-and-georgina-beyer (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Clive Aspin, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 22 Jan 2019