PlanetOut names
People of the Year

Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and the team behind Brokeback Mountain were named winners of the fifth annual PlanetOut Inc. Person of the Year awards on Wednesday. The awards recognize the people that most profoundly impacted the lives of LGBT people in 2005, with nominees coming from politics, film, television, music, travel, business, fashion, and sport. In addition to the traditional selection from the editors, this year PlanetOut opened its online polls to let the millions of visitors to its flagship Web sites Gay.com and PlanetOut.com cast their votes. Zapatero successfully championed marriage rights for same-sex couples in his country. Brokeback Mountain, a love story of two cowboys, is being hailed as a cultural breakthrough. Said PlanetOut Inc. news director Tom Musbach: "2005 has been another decisive year in LGBT history and culture. The fact that our editorial team and our members chose different honorees suggests a wide range of very deserving, influential candidates this year. LGBT people are obviously inspired by the contributions of both Brokeback Mountain and Prime Minister Zapatero as signs of positive change for our future." (Advocate.com)