Sex worker to member of parliament

[tstv_lover]

Georgina Beyer talks about her journey from sex worker to becoming the first elected member of parliament on BBC World programme. The time will vary depending upon location:

http://www.bbcworldnews.com/Pages/Programme.aspx?id=191

[tstv_lover]

A recent interview with Georgina Beyer included the following.

Interviewer: You were attacked and raped in Australia in the late 1970s. You have said this horrific event was a defining moment for you-why is that?

GB: After I recovered from the ordeal of being gang-raped by four men in Sydney, Australia, I felt angered by the injustice of it all; it seemed to reinforce the "scum-of-the-earth" attitude that society seemed to have toward people like me. I felt I had no rights to charge the rapists, and even if I did, I wondered how seriously would a sex-worker tranny from New Zealand would be taken. I felt worthless enough to do nothing at the time.

Later, the experience defined for me that no person should ever have to feel that worthless and helpless-that hate crime is wrong and that I will prove my worth as a human being who happens to be transsexual.
[/i]

Fortunately the situation in New Zealand has changed for the better: prostitution is legal, sex-workers are protected by police and offends receive prison sentences.
What's the situation where you are? Are tgirl sex-workers protected? Are they treated as "scum-of-the-earth"?

[thx1138]

She switched from the world's oldest profession to the world's second oldest profession.