The New York Times sings the praises of drag icon Panti Bliss in a flattering new profile that tracks her success as a champion for marriage equality and a global cultural influencer.

Though Bliss (aka Rory O'Neill) had been an important figure in the Irish LGBT scene for years, she achieved worldwide recognition in 2014 after being sued by a group of anti-gay activists in a saga that has come to be known as "Pantigate."

Since then, she became the face of the "Yes Equality" movement which helped Ireland pass history's very first marriage equality referendum, appeared in a critically acclaimed documentary about her life and the history of gay Ireland, and delivered countless inspiring speeches about a variety of issues relating to LGBT equality.

"As my mother would say, it’s quite the turn up for the books," O'Neill said of the success of the film, The Queen of Ireland.

"If you’d said it to me 10 years ago, I would have looked at you. It’s pretty wild how queer Ireland has become."

Most importantly, the Times notes how O'Neill's unapologetic devotion to the cause has inspired a new generation of Irish youth who've already started working in other areas of social change, like repealing Ireland's eighth Constitutional amendment, which outlaws abortion.

"The victory in the ‘Yes Equality’ campaign further opened up the path for socio-sexual change in Ireland. People say ‘we can do this, we won this,’” he said. “You get that momentum and dynamism, that sense of optimism that flows from a victory."

Check out the trailer for The Queen of Ireland below: