HOLD THE PRESSES...THIS JUST IN!!!

Anderson Cooper: 'The fact is, I'm gay'

NEW YORK (AP) -- Anderson Cooper revealed on Monday that he is gay, ending years of reluctance to talk about his personal life in public.

The CNN journalist wrote in an online letter that he had kept his sexual orientation private for personal and professional reasons, but came to think that remaining silent had given some people a mistaken impression that he was ashamed.

"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 in the letter, published by Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast.

Cooper, the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, had long been the subject of rumors about his sexual orientation. He said that in a perfect world, it wouldn't be anyone's business, but that there is value in "standing up and being counted."

"I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn't mean an end to a small amount of personal space," he wrote. "But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter's shield of privacy."

CNN said it would not comment, and that Cooper was on assignment and there were no plans for Cooper to discuss it on the air.

Few national television news reporters have publicly acknowledged being gay, with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and CNN's Don Lemon perhaps the best known.

Cooper's show, "Anderson Cooper 360," received an award this year from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

"Even prior to coming out publicly, Anderson's terrific work has raised awareness of inequalities facing LGBT people, said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "He's a role model to millions and now will inspire countless others."

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Online:

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/07/a … m-gay.html

at this point, does anyone besides the guy whose dick he's sucking, really give a shit?
By rae121452 | 07/02/2012 03:58 PM | 8 comments
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  • what really annoys me about this whole situation is that anderson cooper being gay is one of the worst kept secrets ever. i mean, come on, was ANYONE surprised? if it had been will smith or henry rollins or someone no one suspected, THAT would be heroic. big woop!
    rae121452 07/03/2012 08:08 PM
  • If all the gay news persons, entertainers and high profiled people would come out at the beginning the gay community would have nothing to chat about!!! I am very happy that he did come out and applaud him in doing so... Yes we do need great role models in the gay community for all those young people to see and not take their lives because of bullying!!! Now let's leave Anderson alone and let him do what he is best in doing and support him all the way!!!
    likemyoung 07/03/2012 10:47 AM
  • Well, I think you have a couple of issues involved here. Anderson is 45. People who grew up before being out was socially acceptable are much more reluctant to reveal their orientation for fear that it will hurt their careers. It's a big reason why, for example, no male athlete in a major U.S. team sport has *ever* come out during his playing career.

    Additionally, when it comes to a product like TV or the movies, companies are afraid that having a gay person prominent in their programming will hurt ratings or box office. So actors have traditionally been fearful of being tagged as gay. (Except on Broadway.)

    This really is the next big hurdle to overcome for the gay community: People need to feel safe enough and confident enough to be able to come out. The hope is that that will change for the gay people who are young adults and children now. It's not likely to for our generation.
    BearinFW 07/02/2012 08:57 PM
  • It's great that he came out. But, has anyone ever noticed that people in the media, never come out until they are solidly established? Perhaps the day is coming when being gay is accepted unconditionally and there will be no need to "come out."
    hisbiguy 07/02/2012 08:45 PM
  • Like BearinFWSays it's good for young people to have outstanding openly gay role models. People like Anderson, Ellen, Suzie, and countless others are good for our community. Not that I really give a shit, but it shows the resistant straight community that gay people don't have two heads. Now if Gail and Oprah would just come out of the closet.
    fenwaydav 07/02/2012 08:28 PM
  • Anderson is an intelligent role model for young gay kids coming up. With young people increasingly open to accepting gay people into their lives and with the older generation (with more than its share of bigots) dying off daily, it should not be long before tolerance and finally complete acceptance kick in for a majority of the population. All of the progressive moves to bring gays into the mainstream of American life are paying dividends far faster than I had ever hoped. President Obama has been right in his efforts to equalize opportunity for gays in the military and in the realm of equal status under the law as partners (marriage or unions recognized as legal and binding).
    rjzip 07/02/2012 07:44 PM
  • Good for Anderson. It's important for young people to have outstanding professional people who are openly gay as role models. And there especially is a shortage of upstanding openly gay men in high profile positions. This isn't to knock flamboyant entertainers, who are plentifully out, but more professional types should be out than are.
    BearinFW 07/02/2012 07:25 PM
  • Oh, I'd do him in a minute!!! I kinda already knew he was. My radar kicked in the first time I saw him.
    kelleysiland 07/02/2012 05:27 PM