Editing Mary McAleese (section)

===During Presidency===

In 2008, McAleese addressed a gay youth forum in Galway and encouraged people to confront those who make anti-gay remarks. McAleese said that being gay was "not a choice but a discovery".<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/confront-those-who-make-anti-gay-remarks-president-tells-youth-forum-1.903278 |title = Confront those who make anti-gay remarks, President tells youth forum| newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] }}</ref>

In 2010, McAleese addressed the LGBT Diversity National Conference in Dublin. She said "The toxic attitudes which were heard in homes, streets, workplaces even in schools and churches caused untold suffering and nothing is surer than the fact that those attitudes can have and will have no place in the Ireland we are building, for they belong in the same toxic waste dump along with sexism, racism, sectarianism and all those other contrary forces which would diminish the innate dignity, freedom and nature of the human person, reduce their life chances and opportunities and consign them to half-lived lives.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.president.ie/en/media-library/speeches/remarks-by-president-mcaleese-at-the-lgbt-diversitys-national-conference-fo | title=Media Library &#124; Speeches &#124; President of Ireland}}</ref>

In 2011, McAleese declined an invitation to be the New York City St Patrick's Day parade Grand Marshall. LGBT people were banned from marching in the parade under LGBT banners.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.irishcentral.com/news/mcaleese-declines-nyc-grand-marshal-invite-103514544-237717601| title=President Mary McAleese declines St. Patrick's Day NYC Grand Marshal invite| date=22 September 2010| access-date=27 November 2019| archive-date=13 December 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213131011/https://www.irishcentral.com/news/mcaleese-declines-nyc-grand-marshal-invite-103514544-237717601| url-status=live}}</ref>