Anderson Cooper has successfully managed to keep his personal life out of the news until now. In an emotional e-mail to his friend Andrew Sullivan, of the Daily Beast, Cooper admitted that he was gay and explained why he has now decided to make the public revelation about his sexuality.
“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 writes.
“I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues,” he continues. “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 stated that he attempted to maintain his privacy in the interest of his job as a reporter — “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,” he says — but realized the social impact of his silence outweighs his personal comfort and professional advantage.
“There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand,” expressed the CNN reporter.
Despite his previous stance on resisting public acknowledgment of his sexuality, speculation about Cooper being gay has followed him for a number of years. Now the daytime talk show can emerged from the “glass closet” and walk proudly in the open much like fellow talk show host Ellen Degeneres.
