Catherine Healy, a former New Zealand sex worker-turned-women's rights activist who successfully campaigned to decriminalize prostitution in the country, was awarded the title of dame to mark the official birthday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
New Zealand awards such honors twice a year — at New Year and again in June to mark the monarch's official birthday.
Healy, 62, who founded the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective and helped to draft a law passed in 2003 that legitimized brothels and gave employment rights to sex workers, was awarded the title of dame in the Queen's Birthday Honours.