New Zealand: The world's first openly transgender member of parliament, Georgina Beyer, a former New Zealand politician and former sex worker, passed away on Monday at the age of 65.

Although a cause of death has not been formally disclosed, Beyer, who tirelessly advocated for the rights of LGBTQ people, had been suffering from kidney disease for some time.

According to Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand, Georgina blazed a trail that others have found much easier to follow.

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The former Labour Party MP was elected to New Zealand's national parliament in 1999 after holding the office of mayor of a small rural community in the country's North Island for a number of years. In addition to working as a sex worker, the former MP was also an actor and drag queen.

She would come to be recognized as a leading ally of LGBTQ rights and was well-known for her advocacy work in support of the legalization of gay marriage, civil unions, and prostitution. In 2020, Queen Elizabeth II recognized Beyer's contributions to her nation's LGBTQ community by bestowing the New Zealand Order of Merit upon her.

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Beyer, a Labour MP who is of Maori descent, announced her retirement in 2007. 2014 saw her attempt another unsuccessful run for office with the now-defunct Mana Party.

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2013 saw the discovery of her kidney failure. She needed kidney dialysis four times a day, seven days a week, beginning with her 2014 election campaign and continuing through her transplant in 2017.