Beyer wins fans at Melbourne conference

Posted in: International Daily News
By GayNZ.com News Staff - 10th February 2008

New Zealand's most prominent transgender activist Georgina Beyer was a stand-out favourite at this week's Melbourne Outgames Human Rights Conference, with her speech receiving "rapturous applause", reports Melbourne's bNews.

Make way for Beyer (photo: BNews)

"A clear conference favourite, she thundered against the institution of marriage and in favour of civil unions," a report on the two-day event stated.

Beyer told the conference her view of marriage was "absolutely zero".

"The exclusion! The oppression! The homophobia!," she thundered. "So we had to find another alternative to marriage that was exactly the same," she said, pointing out that New Zealand's civil unions were open to all.

"To make burdens of people out of people like us is totally irresponsible. To throw onto the scrapheap, out of choice, people who should be full participants in our society. So, they've only got themselves to blame if we've become a problem."

Event reviewer Doug Pollard was clearly impressed with Beyer: "This woman doesn't really have to do anything, she could create a tsunami just by standing there," he gushed.

"Rapturous applause" followed Beyer's speech, and "three Maori women in the audience leapt to their feet, singing and dancing in tribute".

The next speaker at the podium was Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, an International Lesbian & Gay Association delegate from Sri Lanka, who seemed initially somewhat overawed to be following Beyer's rousing appearance.

"Thanks Georgina," she began, "You're a hard act to follow. In fact, I'd rather be thrown into a cage of braying homophobes."