10. Alex Au: The most influential gay in the villageWhen asked how he felt about being on this list, 48-year old and openly gay Au said, “I don’t know what ‘influential’ means for someone not in government in a place like Singapore, where freedom of expression is so restricted."
"We’re confined to the media margins; we have no access to policy makers.”
But Au’s influence is clearly strong among the populace, for his liberal Yawning Bread blog of 14 years has amassed a sizable following and covers a wide breadth of topics, ranging from sexuality to politics, media, society, the environment to “being human.”
While the blog receives many comments and is frequently cited, Au doubts that non-mainstream new media will be allowed too far a reach in society.
“New media is freer than traditional media," says Au. "But the question remains whether the government will continue to tolerate a robust new media when its influence surpasses that of the docile old. Reversal of trends is not out of the question.” Full story
