As the first female president of the Republic of Ireland, it’s no surprise that Mary Robinson made an impact. When first running as an Independent senator in 1969, she said to The Irish Times that her goal would be “to open up Ireland and separate Catholic teaching from aspects of the criminal law and therefore reform the law on contraceptives, legalise homosexuality and change the constitutional ban on divorce.”

Below are some of the ways she made a lasting change.

Decriminalising homosexuality in Ireland
One of the most significant milestones in Irish LGBTQ+ history, Mary Robinson signed the bill to decriminalise homosexuality in the Republic of Ireland on June 24, 1993, in Dáil Éireann. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 stated “any rule of law by virtue of which buggery is between persons is an offence is hereby abolished.”

This movement was originally started by activists, including David Norri,s in the 1970s with the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform. Mary McAleese and Robinson were involved in this movement as advisors. McAleese was the first legal advisor of the movement between 1975 and 1979, with Mary Robinson succeeding her in the 1980s. When speaking to RTÉ in the documentary A Different Country, she states how proud she was to sign the bill.

Proposed the first bill on contraception
In her first term as senator, Robinson introduced a bill to legalise contraception. After having the bill rejected four times in the Seanad, the ‘Contraceptive Train’ protest took place on May 22, 1971. This involved members from the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement travelling to Belfast on the train to buy contraceptives. On their arrival back in Connolly Station, the women loudly proclaimed what they had bought and proceeded to swallow the pills. Facing pressure from the public after the protest, the Seanad opened the bill again in 1971, which ended up getting defeated 25-14. Contraceptives were finally legalised in 1979.

First Irish president to have LGBTQ+ representatives in Áras an Uachtaráin
In 1992, Robinson invited members of Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) to Áras an Uachtaráin to be photographed after the bill decriminalising homosexuality was passed. This made her the first president to have LGBTQ+ representatives in the official residence. Despite these LGBTQ+ leaders being invited, Robinson recalled to several news sources the reluctance of some individuals to be in the picture, as being openly gay in Ireland was very scary at this time. The reluctance was due to a fear of risking their friendships, family relationships, and employment.

Helped make Ireland offer equal pay
When Ireland joined the European Economic Community in 1972, two of the president’s goals were met. From June 1973, Ireland was required to offer women in the public service the same pay as their male coworkers, and the following month, the marriage bar for women in the civil service was lifted.

Mary Robinson’s impact doesn’t stop with helping women and campaigning for Irish LGBTQ+ rights. She was also involved in legalising divorce in 1996 and granting legal aid in court to plaintiffs. She travelled to Somalia during the famine to offer help, and did so much more throughout her career.