 Mary IIx Earley is a leader and activist whose work was essential in removing sexism in the Indian Act. Her 18-plus years of advocacy were particularly dedicated to fighting the assimilative and disenfranchising legislation in sections 12.1b of the Indian Act, which dictated If a status woman married a non-status man, her land and treaty rights were removed. But if a status man were to marry a non-status woman, that man could pass on treaty rights to his children. Additionally, if a woman wanted to divorce a status Indian man, her status would also be revoked. Mary was born on the 4th of October, 1911, on the Kanawake Reserve. In 1929, she left her reserve and moved to New York City to find work. Here, she met her husband Edward Earley, an electrical engineer of Irish-American origin. When Mary married Edwards, she lost her status rights because of the petrilineal definition of Indian status. Mary's passion and commitment to restoring land and status rights to indigenous women spanned well over 18 years. Through years of involvement with organizations such as Indian Rights for Indian Women and the Kobac Native Women's Association, she consistently lobbied the Canadian government to amend the Indian Act. It was a long difficult battle, but Mary's efforts to highlight racist and gender discrimination in Canada at a national and international platform finally received attention when the government of Canada finally passed Bill C-31 in 1985. Bill C-31 was an amendment to the Indian Act, reinstating status to women who lost their status due to sections 12.1b, which to Mary and women like Mary meant, after all these years, I'll be legally entitled to live on the reserve, have the ability to own property, die and be buried with my own people.