Anderson Cooper: ‘The fact is, I’m gay’

[X Factor 1,112]

Anderson Cooper: The fact is, Im gay

Anderson Cooper has confirmed what most people in the media world and New York already knew: He is gay.

"The fact is, I'm gay," Cooper wrote in an email to Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan. "Always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."

Sullivan, who is gay and is a longtime friend of Cooper's, had asked the CNN anchor for his reaction to a recent Entertainment Weekly story about the importance of gay celebrities coming out of the closet to combat America's bullying epidemic.

"Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I've thought about for years," Cooper responded. "Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to."

"But I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons," Cooper continued. "Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people's stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist. I've always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly."

Cooper said he did not come out in his 2006 memoir, "Dispatches from the Edge," because the book was meant to be about war and not about his personal life. But his thinking has since changed:

Recently, however, I've begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It's become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide somethingsomething that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.

While it's the first time Cooper has been on the record about his sexuality, it's been an open secret in the media and gay communities for years. In 2007, for example, Out magazine put Cooper on its list of the 50 most powerful gays. In 2011, Cooper gave a winking nod to his homosexuality during a panel discussion with writers from The Onion.

And last month, Cooper was among the celebrities featured in a New York Observer cover story on "the glass closet."

"In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted," Cooperwho says he's always been open with family and friendsadded in his email. "Visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter's shield of privacy."

While Cooper is certainly the most prominent news personality to announce he's gay, he isn't the firsteven at CNN. Last year, weekend and daytime anchor Don Lemon came out of the closet in a memoir titled "Transparent."

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My link

Edited July 2, 2012 by kennard

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I cannot wait for the day when gay men and women don't feel the need to announce their sexual preference to the world. It's a shame that they're so pressured to do so, as if their sexuality defines them or changes them as a person.

[Teddy B 17,252]

I cannot wait for the day when gay men and women don't feel the need to announce their sexual preference to the world. It's a shame that they're so pressured to do so, as if their sexuality defines them or changes them as a person.

It does put a whole new meaning to a mans fashion sense.

[mawilson 2,133]

Is that why the Arabs attacked him in Egypt?

[^_^ 5,021]

Is that why the Arabs attacked him in Egypt?

arabs have perfected the technology of the gaydar.. well known fact

[mawilson 2,133]

arabs have perfected the technology of the gaydar.. well known fact

Al-Gaydar bin Hussein

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Who gives a Sh!t?

[JohnR! 5,495]

This is news that's fit to be on WGAF nightly telecast...

[X Factor 1,112]

It does put a whole new meaning to a mans fashion sense.

[Captain Oates 911]

Like any woman didn't already know and any man didn't suspect..

I knew, but that doesn't mean I am a woman, or he had me in a hotel in Haiti or anything like that

It was the way he looked at Sanjay Gupta that gave the game way

hey ho - suits me - it leaves more rampant totty for us real men

[Danno 1,228]

I cannot wait for the day when gay men and women don't feel the need to announce their sexual preference to the world. It's a shame that they're so pressured to do so, as if their sexuality defines them or changes them as a person.

Those who wish to keep their private business..... well private are often pressured if not outright threatened to "be outed" if they don't fess up.

This tactic was the main reason why Breitbart stepped down from some Gay-republican group he was working with.

I don't follow the "people magazine" type news but I assumed he was "out" already as he just had that twinkle in his eye (always the dead give away for so many of em).

[Captain Oates 911]

Those who wish to keep their private business..... well private are often pressured if not outright threatened to "be outed" if they don't fess up.

This tactic was the main reason why Breitbart stepped down from some Gay-republican group he was working with.

I don't follow the "people magazine" type news but I assumed he was "out" already as he just had that twinkle in his eye (always the dead give away for so many of em).

I have a twinkle in my eye but I will practice how to lose it in future

[Danno 1,228]

I have a twinkle in my eye but I will practice how to lose it in future

If you have the twinkle you must be a bottom.

[Captain Oates 911]

]

If you have the twinkle you must be a bottom.

I had a twinkle when I lived in Gay Lane and it stuck with me

I am going to wear sunglasses until it can be trained away >>

Gay Lane

.

[X Factor 1,112]

]

I had a twinkle when I lived in Gay Lane and it stuck with me

I am going to wear sunglasses until it can be trained away >>

Gay Lane

.

there is actually a Gay Lane. What colors did you decorate your flat? Anything but rainbow