By Easton L
The 45-year-old CNN anchor and daytime talk show host, Anderson Cooper’s, sexuality has long been the subject of ample media speculation, but he has never publicly confirmed it until now.
Cooper made the announcement in an email to writer Andrew Sullivan.
“The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud,” he wrote.
Cooper also addresses the public’s long speculation surrounding his sexuality in the email to Sullivan:
“I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. 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. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.”
Cooper also said that he ultimately decided that he was doing more harm than good by not speaking up:
“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 something – something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true. I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible.”
You can read the full email here.
Cooper becomes the fifth, though by far the most high-profile, openly gay anchor in the cable news business. He joins CNN colleagues Don Lemon and Jane Velez-Mitchell, as well as MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts and Rachel Maddow.
As Sullivan himself said in his post, Cooper is just the latest celebrity to come out in a relatively understated way. Just fifteen years ago, Ellen DeGeneres revealed she was gay in a storm of magazine covers and publicity. Now, though, stars are just as likely to quietly disclose their sexuality.
Oh how things are changing.
