Time magazine names Leo Varadkar as one of world's 100 most influential people
Leo Varadkar has been named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine.
The Taoiseach made the cover of the publication last July and is included as a symbol of how far Ireland has come in the past 25 years.
He joins Donald Trump and Meghan Markle on the list, as well as 14-year-old Stranger Things Actress, Millie Bobby Brown.
Philip Ryan, co-author of a new book 'Leo Varadkar – a Very Modern Taoiseach' along with Niall O’Connor, wrote the entry on the Taoiseach.
In a piece about Mr Varadkar for the magazine, journalist Philip Ryan says: "When Ireland finally decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, the Catholic Church still had a firm grip on the state's affairs.
"Divorce was illegal, and its abortion laws were deeply entrenched as some of the most conservative in the West.
"Twenty-five years on, Ireland is a very different place—symbolized by the rise of its new leader, Leo Varadkar."
He adds: "The openly gay son of an Indian immigrant, Varadkar decided to come out publicly in the run-up to the world's first marriage-equality referendum.
Today the once anti-abortion politician is campaigning to significantly liberalize the country’s abortion laws.
"The country’s youngest-ever Taoiseach will be judged on how he guides his nation through these challenges."
It also touches on Mr Varadkar being at the centre of EU negotiations on Brexit - while also facing "a major housing and homelessness crisis".
Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny also appeared on a Time magazine cover back in 2012 - while former President Mary Robinson was named as one of its most influential people back in 2005.
