American Journalist Anderson Cooper is the face of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°, as well as the daytime talk show, Anderson. For years, viewers have watched him report breaking news stories and share vital national and international information, but today Cooper shared a personal matter that he felt was time to be made public--He is gay.
According to Cooper, he was concerned that his long-held silence on the matter had led some to believe that he was uncomfortable or ashamed of his sexuality. The TV Journalist came out in an e-mail message to Andrew Sullivan, the openly gay blogger for The Daily Beast.
"Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life," Cooper wrote. In part, he wrote, that has been for professional reasons: "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."
Cooper continued, "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 something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true."
"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 to Mr. Sullivan.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a media advocacy group,said in a statement that "even prior to coming out publicly, Anderson's terrific work has raised awareness of inequalities facing L.G.B.T. people." Herndon Graddick, the president of the group, added: "I'm proud to call him my friend. He's a role model to millions and now will inspire countless others."
"In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business," Cooper wrote, "but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted."
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
