Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė

Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė (née Aušrinė; born 6 April 1944) is a Lithuanian philologist, professor, human rights activist, feminist writer and politician. She was a member of Seimas from 2009 to 2016 as a member of the Social Democratic Party, having previously represented the Liberal Democratic Party as a member from 2004 to 2008.

Marija Aušrinė was born in Kaunas to a family of actors, including Vladas Fedotas-Sipavičius and Jadvyga Ramanauskaitė. She graduated from the 23rd Vilnius School. In 1967, she graduated from Vilnius State University, continuing her studies in American literature problems. In 1977, she completed a PhD in philology from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Her husband Rolandas Pavilionis was a Member of the European Parliament and had been a dean of Vilnius University from 1990 to 2000. The two have two sons, one of whom is an ambassador to the United States.

Political activism and scientific work Marija Aušrinė Pavilionienė is one of the most well-known LGBT rights activists in Lithuania, and the chairman of ad hoc Group of Seimas Members for Equality. She is also a prominent feminist thinker and occasionally publishes articles about gender issues.

Pavilionienė was a member of the Groups of Seimas concerning human rights in Tibet and Belarus during her first term in Seimas.