Obama signs bill to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

President Obama has signed a bill to end the ban on openly gay troops in the US military.

Two years after he promised to end the controversial policy in his election campaign, the president signed the bill during a ceremony at the Interior Department.

Today, he said that the change would “strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend”.

Referring to the sacrifices made by servicemembers, he said: “None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well.”

An estimated 14,000 troops have been dismissed under the 1993 ban.

Last weekend, the Senate voted to repeal the bill.

However, it may take months before gay soldiers are permitted to serve openly and those fired can re-apply to join the military.

Military officials must consider and rewrite policies related to the issue over the next few weeks.

Then, President Obama, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen must certify that the ban can be lifted without damaging the military.

Following this certification, 60 days must pass before repeal officially takes place.

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Parents of gay suicide student will sue university

The parents of a New Jersey student who jumped to his death after his roommate allegedly broadcast his gay sex session are to sue his university.

Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old student at Rutgers University, killed himself by jumping from the George Washington Bridge in September.

His roommate Dharun Ravi of Plainsboro, New Jersey, and Molly W Wei of Princeton, both 18, deny secretly recording him having sex with a man and broadcasting it online.

They have both been charged with invasion of privacy and have left campus.

Associated Press reports that Mr Clementi’s parents filed notice to sue last week and their attorney Stephen DeFeo said they will argue that Rutgers failed to implement or enforce policies that would have prevented or deterred the alleged invasion of privacy.

A Rutgers spokesman said that while the university was sympathetic to the Clementi family, it was not responsible for the student’s death.

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Mystery remains over spy’s death

Police are still mystified over the death of British spy Gareth Williams, whose body was found padlocked inside a sports bag in August.

Mr Williams, 31, was a GCHQ code-breaker who was on secondment to MI6 at the time of his death.

His naked body was found locked inside a holdall at his Pimlico flat with the keys inside the bag. He is thought to have been dead for a week.

According to Press Association, police revealed today that he had visited bondage websites and had a £15,000 collection of women’s designer clothing.

They also said that a witness saw him at a gay bar in Vauxhall several months before he died and that he had visited a drag show a few days before his death. He also had tickets for two more drag shows.

Mr Williams is rumoured to have been gay, but police say they have not been able to speak to any of his sexual partners. He is said to have been intensely private.

Today, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, who is leading the inquiry, said she believes Mr Williams was locked in the bag by another person and that police would continue to study his private life for clues.

Speaking at New Scotland Yard today, she said: “We remain completely open-minded about how he died.

“We are appealing today to someone who is out there to come forward and tell us more.”

No traces of drugs or alcohol were found in Mr Williams’ body. Experts found that he would have died after 30 minutes inside the bag from suffocation.

Police are seeking a man and a woman who visited his flat several weeks before his body was found and say that forensic evidence shows that other people were in the property.

His death is still being treated as suspicious and unexplained and an inquest will be held in February.

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Federal inquiry into US gay teenager’s suicide

Federal education officials are investigating the suicide of a 13-year-old California boy who killed himself after suffering homophobic bullying.

Seth Walsh died nine days after hanging himself in his garden on September 28th. His family said he had endured years of harassment and abuse at school for being gay.

Last week, his mother Wendy accused the Tehachapi school district of ignoring her pleas to tackle the bullying.

She said his grades had fallen and that some teachers had even joined in the harassment.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Education Secretary Arne Duncan confirmed that federal education officials were investigating how the school district dealt with the issue.

Mrs Walsh said she contacted Department of Education investigators while her son lay in hospital in a coma before he died.

She said they spent two days in Tehachapi last week, interviewing teachers, administrators and students.

In October, the Education Department’s civil rights division told school districts that they must take steps to stamp out anti-gay bullying.

According to Associated Press, the department has the power to investigate school districts where bullying is said to be so severe, it has resulted in a “hostile environment” for students who are, or are thought to be, LGBT.

Mrs Walsh is being supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, which last week sent a letter to the school district on her behalf asking it to prevent another tragedy.

The ACLU says that at least 11 US LGBT teenagers have killed themselves after suffering bullying in the last few months.

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UN votes to reinstate resolution condemning execution of gays

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to restore a reference to sexual orientation in a resolution opposing the unjustified killings of minority groups.

Last month, a UN panel deleted a reference to gays and lesbians in resolution introduced by Morocco and Mali. The vast majority of countries in support were African or Arabic.

Many of the supporting countries criminalise homosexuality and five treat it as a capital offence.

But today, the UN General Assembly voted 93 in favour of the United States’ proposal to restore the reference to sexual orientation, 55 countries voted against and 27 abstained. The assembly then approved the amended resolution with 122 in favour, none against and 59 abstentions.

The amendment passed last month called for the words “sexual orientation” to be replaced with “discriminatory reasons on any basis”. The resolution made explicit reference to a large number of groups, including human rights defenders, religious and ethnic minorities and street children.

It narrowly passed 79-70 and was then approved by the UN General Assembly committee with 165 in favour and ten abstentions. The motion condemns extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions and other killings, is voted on by the UN General Assembly every two years. For the past ten years, it contained references to sexual orientation.

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Malaysian gay man gets death threats after support video

A Malaysian Muslim man who spoke out about being gay has received death threats and says he fears for his life.

Azwan Ismail, a 32-year-old engineer, made a YouTube video called ‘I’m gay, I’m ok’, in an effort to encourage other gay Malaysians to feel comfortable with their sexual orientation.

His video clip was part of a series posted by Malaysian activists and was inspired by the US It Gets Better project, in which LGBT people speak frankly about their own experiences growing up.

Mr Ismail told Associated Press that he was scared he was about to be killed and that his life had been threatened.

He was the only Muslim to take part in the project. Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia but offences are not usually harshly punished.

He said: “My intention was not to insult Islam. I just wanted to represent gay Malays in this project. I hope these videos will help to create a more open society and more discussion.”

In the video, which has been viewed more than 140,000 times on YouTube in just six days, Mr Ismail talked about his faith and his sexuality.

One prominent Islamic cleric criticised him for “derid[ing] his own dignity”, while Malaysia’s Cabinet minister for Islamic affairs, Jamil Khir Baharom, said action may be taken to prevent more people viewing the video.

Mr Ismail said he was now taking safety precautions in response to the threats.

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Five years of civil partnerships

Today is the fifth anniversary of civil partnerships in England and Wales.

The ceremonies, which give gay couples almost all of the rights of marriage, came into effect at 8am on December 21st 2005. Three gay couples in Brighton were the first to take advantage of the new legislation.

The very first civil partnership to take place was on December 5th 2005, between a gay couple where one partner was terminally ill.

An error meant that Scotland’s first civil partnerships were held on December 20th 2005.

Since 2005, an estimated 40,000 gay couples have entered into civil partnerships. London and Brighton remain the most popular areas for the ceremonies.

Last year, the average age for gay people to have a civil partnership was 41.2 for men and 38.9 for women. For straight couples, the average age at first marriage was 32.1 years for men and 29.9 years for women.

Currently, only gay couples may have a civil partnership. They cannot marry.

However, marriage equality campaigners hope to change this and will soon launch a legal bid to open up both institutions to everyone.

The coalition government has promised to work towards giving gay couples the right to religious civil partnerships but has stopped short of supporting gay marriage.

In a message released today, equality minister Lynne Featherstone said: “As well as benefiting the couples who have registered their unions, the introduction of civil partnerships has helped make a real, positive change in the way society thinks about lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

“As a government we’re committed to building on this progress, which is why we’re currently looking at what the next steps for civil partnerships could be.”

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London men cleared of stab attack on ‘gay victim’

Two men and two teenage boys have been cleared of stabbing a man they allegedly thought was gay.

The group was accused of attacking Ricky Brown, of Homerton, east London, because they believed he had made advances to young boys after offering them drink or drugs.

Mr Brown, who survived being stabbed 12 times, said he had also been robbed.

After the attack in August last year, police arrested Bradley Goddard, 21, of Keston Road, Tottenham, Emmanuel Nwachukwu, of Station Road, New Barnet, 31, and a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old who cannot be named due to their ages.

The teenagers were arrested close to the scene but denied any involvement in the incident.

Mr Goddard and Mr Nwachukwu said to have been travelling in a car caught on CCTV in the area but Mr Nwachukwu said he had been in the area to buy cannabis with a friend.

All four were acquitted of aggravated burglary and two counts of burglary yesterday at the Old Bailey, the Muswell Hill Journal reports.

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Preacher wins £7,000 after being wrongly arrested for homophobia

A Christian street preacher detained by police for being homophobic has won £7,000 in damages for wrongful arrest.

Dale McAlpine, 42, was arrested in Cumbria in April last year after he told a community support officer that homosexuality was a “sin”.

He was then arrested on suspicion of a public order offence by West Midlands Police.

Mr McAlpine, who regularly delivers sermons from a stepladder in Workington, was charged with using threatening words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

The charge was later dropped.

However, he sought the help of the Christian Institute and sued the force for wrongful arrest, unlawful imprisonment and breach of his human rights.

West Midlands Police have agreed to pay him a £7,000 settlement, plus court costs. He will also receive an apology from a senior officer.

Last week, a Christian street preacher who raged against the “effeminate” and said gays would go to hell won £4,000 in damages for being arrested.

Anthony Rollins, of Birmingham, was arrested in July 2008 when a passerby took offence to his remarks about homosexuality and called 999.

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US awaits signing of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal laws

America is awaiting the presidential signing of the bill repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

The bill will be passed this week to President Barack Obama who has already confirmed that he will sign it into law, saying: “It is time to close this chapter in our history. It is time to recognise that sacrifice, valour and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed.

“It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly.”

The Senate passed the motion on Saturday 65-31 in favour of removing the restrictions on gays serving in the military. Numerous celebrities have responded positively to the vote.

Lady Gaga, who has been a vocal opponent of the ban, posted her reaction on Twitter, writing: “Can’t hold back the tears + pride. We did it!! Our voice was heard + today the Senate REPEALED DADT. A triumph for equality after 17 YEARS.”

Ellen DeGeneres also added her thoughts on the social networking site, saying: “Thank you Senators for pushing us one step closer towards full equality.”

Musician Katy Perry agreed with P!nk, stating: “SUPPORTING ALL OUR TROOPS! RT @Pink: Congrats 2 US!!! REPEAL of DADT & 17 years of allowing Human Rights Violations. There’s hope after all.”

Openly gay actor Neil Patrick Harris wrote: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell REPEALED! So proud of Congress for making the right decision. Now all soldiers can serve with integrity. A great day.”

The repeal will take effect after a 60-day period to allow the US Defense Department to consider how best to implement the new policy.

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Australian Catholics told to lobby MPs against gay marriage

The Catholic Church in Australia has advised its followers to call for politicians to resist gay marriage proposals based on the “natural order”.

MPs in Canberra are expected to receive calls from constituents who have been counselled by the Church to stress the importance of biological relationships, rather than protecting marriage as a religious institution.

The Sydney Archdiocese, the Catholic Women’s League and the Knights of the Southern Cross issued an open letter urging Catholics to take action.

The letter states: “Marriage between a man and a woman is not a religious construct but a natural institution found across all cultures and religions. Marriage is a unique kind of sexually complementary union with a natural orientation to life.”

The church has also written that heterosexual couples who are married but infertile have a greater right marriage than homosexuals because “their lovemaking is designed to give life”.

“Allowing two men or two women to marry would involve a fundamental change in our understanding of marriage, from a life-giving and sexually complementary union to a personal, romantic relationship with no true communion or connection to procreation.”

Currently, Australia’s Labor Party has an official policy against gay marriage.

The policy has been questioned recently, and a motion tabled by the Australian Greens party called on representatives to consult their constituents on the issue.

The motion was passed by 73 votes to 72.

Marriage Equality Spokesman Rodney Croome said the church should “should respect our right to marry under civil law – this kind of mutual tolerance is the hallmark of a modern, civilised democracy”.

“Our advice to the people we are encouraging to visit MPs is to highlight the fact that under Australian marriage law people of any faith or no faith can marry, as can people who cannot or do not wish to have children.”

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Labour council candidate harassed rival with anti-gay abuse

A Labour council candidate has admitting bombarding his openly gay rival with homophobic abuse.

David Bradley, 29, of Bristol, sent 33 text messages to Ed Bramall, 33, calling him “creepy” and “vile”.

The messages also called gay people “bum rapists” and “gay lords”, the Bristol Evening Post reports.

Bradley, a failed Labour candidate for the seat of Weston-Super-Mare in the general election, lost out to Mr Bramall in the contest to represent Whitchurch Park ward at this year’s local elections.

His hate campaign began shortly afterwards.

Bradley pleaded guilty to harassment at Bristol magistratres’ court and will be sentenced at a later date.

His solicitor Anna Van Wely said he had been suffering a “difficult period” in his life. She said he was now receiving counselling and had cut down his drinking.

“I think it is probably the case that this man has been suffering from a mental health problem for some time,” she said.

Mr Bramall said the messages were “unpleasant” but he was not frightened by them.

“[Bradley] clearly has some mental health issues,” he said. “I don’t really hold any malice towards him. I just think it’s sad that he has done it and got himself in this situation.”

A South West Labour spokesperson said Bradley had been suspended by the Labour Party.

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Winona Ryder says Mel Gibson was homophobic

Winona Ryder claims that Mel Gibson was homophobic and anti-Semitic when she met him 15 years ago.

The actress told GQ that he had called her an “oven dodger” – a reference to the gas chambers used to kill Jews during the Holocaust.

“I was at one of those big Hollywood parties. And he was really drunk,” she said.

“I was with my friend, who’s gay. [Gibson] made a really horrible gay joke.

“And somehow it came up that I was Jewish. He said something about ‘oven dodgers,’ but I didn’t get it. I’d never heard that before.”

She added: “I was like, ‘he’s anti-Semitic and he’s homophobic’. No one believed me.”

Gibson’s spokesman did not comment.

Ryder is half-Jewish and has spoken before about her relatives being killed in the Holocaust.

Gibson, who has been accused of homophobia before, is struggling to save his reputation after he was arrested in the summer for alleged domestic violence.

In 2006, he declared that Jews were responsible for “all the wars in the world”.

In 1991, he told a Spanish magazine that his posterior was “only for taking a s**t”. He later said he had been drunk at the time.

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FIFA boss Sepp Blatter sorry for saying gays shouldn’t have sex in Qatar

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has apologised for saying that gay football fans shouldn’t have sex in Qatar when the country hosts the 2022 World Cup.

Earlier this week, he dismissed concerns that the country is homophobic, despite laws punishing gay sex with up to five years in prison.

When asked about gay football fans visiting Qatar, he said: “I would say they should refrain from any sexual activities.”

Today, he said he was sorry if anyone had been offended by his comments.

Speaking in Abu Dhabi, he said: “It was not my intention and never will be my intention to go into any discrimination.

“This is exactly what we are against. If somebody feels that they have been hurt, then I regret it and present apologies.”

Gay campaigners were furious at his earlier comments.

Former basketball star John Amaechi, who came out in 2007, said he was “enraged” at the comments and had made a complain to FIFA.

The Gay Football Supporters’ Network called on him to retract the remarks or resign.

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Gay referee Nigel Owens on reporting homophobic abuse

Rugby referee Nigel Owens has spoken about why he called police over homophobic abuse at a recent game.

He was on duty at a Welsh premiership game between Llanelli and Neath at Parc y Scarlets last month when a fan allegedly began shouting anti-gay abuse.

Mr Owens told the South Wales Post: “It’s the first time it’s happened when I have heard it so loud, the stadium was fairly empty and everyone there must have heard it, I know the players did.

“The reason something needs to be done about it, and why I took it to the police, however, is I recently spent six hours talking to a young rugby player who was contemplating taking his own life because he felt that he couldn’t deal with coming out.

“I have been through it myself and was telling him people would understand.

Then a few days later you get an idiot like that shouting homophobic abuse. It’s really not on.

“The Samaritans will tell you that around 4,000 young men a year take their own life in the UK and the reason in some cases is because they can not adjust to being gay.”

The referee, 39, is supporting a Samaritans campaign to prevent male suicides. He has documented his own struggle with depression and admitted he tried to kill himself at the age of 26.

Llanelli police are appealing for witnesses to the alleged abuse, which happened just before half-time at the November 15th game.

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Pair convicted of homophobic killing

A 20-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were convicted today of the manslaughter of gay man Ian Baynham.

Ruby Thomas and Joel Alexander, both of south-east London, are facing jail.

Mr Baynham, 62, died 18 days after he was attacked in Trafalgar Square in September 2009.

The Old Bailey heard this month that he had suffered homophobic abuse before being knocked to the ground and then kicked and stamped on.

The assault was described as a “Clockwork Orange-style” attack.

Mr Baynham suffered severe head injuries and never regained consciousness.

Alexander and Thomas were found guilty of manslaughter and affray in a retrial. The jury in the previous trial could not agree on a verdict.

Rachel Burke, who was also present at the attack, was cleared of assault but found guilty of affray at an earlier hearing.

Prosecutor Brian Altman QC told the court that Ms Thomas had drunkenly hurled anti-gay abuse at the pair and Mr Baynham had confronted her.

Ms Thomas is said to have lashed out at Mr Baynham and he retaliated towards her friend, Rachel Burke, the jury heard.

The court was told that Mr Alexander then knocked Mr Baynham to the floor with a punch to the jaw.

As he lay on the floor, the girls are said to have kicked him and stamped on him.

Mr Alexander admitted punching the older man but said he struck out to protect the girls.

Mr Baynham died from head injuries sustained when he hit his head on the pavement, the court heard.

Thomas, a former private school pupil, already has a conviction for violence after assaulting a bus driver in 2007.

Thomas, Burke and Alexander will be sentenced in the New Year.

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Baynham killing ‘shows homophobia must be tackled in schools’

The killing of out gay man Ian Baynham shows that work to tackle anti-gay bullying in schools must continue, campaigners have said.

Mr Baynham’s killers, Ruby Thomas and Joel Alexander, were teenagers at the time of the homophobic attack last year.

Today, they were found guilty of his manslaughter. Rachel Burke was found guilty of affray at an earlier hearing.

The Old Bailey heard that Thomas had shouted homophobic abuse at Mr Baynham and “put the boot” into him as he lay dying on the floor.

Gay rights groups said that his killers’ ages proved that plenty of work still needs to be done in schools.

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said: “We welcome this verdict and urge the judge to take into consideration the homophobic element of this crime when sentencing.

“The perpetrators of this homophobic crime were educated in Britain’s education system within the last five years – demonstrating how much more needs to be done to tackle homophobia in our schools before it festers into violence on the streets.”

Paul Martin, of the Lesbian and Gay Foundation, added: “This is a hugely important result, but it is still greatly upsetting that we live in a society where these crimes are still happening and that Ian Baynham is no longer with us.

“The three accused of attacking Mr Baynham were still teenagers at the time of the attack, not long out of the UK education system, highlighting the work that needs to be done in all schools, other young peoples’ settings and throughout society to change attitudes, promote understanding and challenge homophobia.”

He added: “But today’s ruling sends out an important message, that prejudice won’t be tolerated, that homophobic hate crimes are treated seriously and that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people should have the confidence to report hate crimes.

“Our thoughts are with Ian’s family and friends.”

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USMC Head James Amos: DADT Repeal Could Cause Marines To Lose Their Legs

General James Amos, Commandant of the USMC, says the "distraction" of openly gay soldiers will cause more casualties on the battlefield.

"When your life hangs on a line, on the intuitive behavior of the young man ... who sits to your right and your left, you don't want anything distracting you," Amos told reporters at the Pentagon. "I don't want to lose any Marines to distraction. I don't want to have any Marines that I'm visiting at Bethesda (hospital) with no legs," he said. He added that "mistakes and inattention or distractions cost Marines' lives. That's the currency of this fight." His comments were the toughest yet on the issue, after he testified at a congressional hearing that he opposed lifting the ban in a time of war. Amos said Marines in combat in Afghanistan sent a "very strong message" in the Pentagon's study released earlier this month, expressing opposition to repealing the ban in a survey."I have to listen to that," he said.

Metro Weekly's Chris Geidner reports that Amos' comments have sparked outrage among pro-repeal groups. Aaron Belkin, the director of the Palm Center, told Metro Weekly, "Among those U.S. Marines who know a gay or lesbian peer in their unit, 88.1 percent say that the unit functions effectively. Gen. Amos is cherry-picking the data to support his 20th century views, and everyone knows it." Belkin added, "Gen. Amos admitted [in his testimony on Dec. 3] that he is the only Service Chief who did not take the time to ask his colleagues in foreign militaries whether allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly undermines combat effectiveness." [snip]

Servicemembers United executive director Alex Nicholson, meanwhile, said in a statement that Amos's "commentary is moving from the realm of reasonable disagreement in the provision of professional military advice to hysteria-inducing absurdity on this topic that reflects very poorly on DOD and on the administration." SLDN's Sarvis went on in his statement to say of Amos's comments, "He had his say before the Senate and House. General Amos needs to stop lobbying against his Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. If he cannot do that, the President should ask for his resignation."

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Quote Of The Day - Kevin Spacey

"Look, at the end of the day people have to respect people's differences. I am different than some people would like me to be. I just don't buy into that the personal can be political. I just think that's horseshit. No one's personal life is in the public interest. It's gossip, bottom line. End of story. Now some people feed that. They'll go to the trendy restaurants where all the photographers are and then bitch about being famous. But if you don't want to feed that and you want your life to be based around what your work is then it ends there." - Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, taking a page from Queen Latifah in a Daily Beast interview that asks why he won't officially come out.

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Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Named TIME Magazine's Person Of The Year

The two runners-up were WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the Tea Party. TIME says about Zuckerberg: At 26, Zuckerberg is a year older than our first Person of the Year, Charles Lindbergh — another young man who used technology to bridge continents. He is the same age as Queen Elizabeth when she was Person of the Year, for 1952. But unlike the Queen, he did not inherit an empire; he created one. (The Queen, by the way, launched a Facebook page this year.) Person of the Year is not and never has been an honor. It is a recognition of the power of individuals to shape our world. For connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them (something that has never been done before); for creating a new system of exchanging information that has become both indispensable and sometimes a little scary; and finally, for changing how we all live our lives in ways that are innovative and even optimistic, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is TIME's 2010 Person of the Year.

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