Anderson Cooper comes out: 'I'm gay'
Anderson chose not to write about his sexual orientation in his memoir, 'Dispatches From The Edge', because he wanted to focus on the war.
Many have long suspected that Anderson Cooper is gay. No other man can look that good while reporting on wars and rescuing babies from burning buildings at the same time. Except maybe Matt Lauer.
So when the Emmy-winning CNN anchor came out yesterday in a statement posted on Andrew Sullivan's blog for The Daily Beast, no one blinked. The only question was, what took him so long? Well, he said that privacy and safety were a priority for a journalist who often travels to war zones and countries where homosexuality is banned or frowned upon.
"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," he wrote.
But while privacy is important for journalists, he didn't want to give the impression he was hiding something and wanted to stand up against bullying.
"There continues to be far too many incidents 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," said the 45-year-old silver-haired fox to Sullivan, who is also gay.
He said he still hoped for some "personal space", but "I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter's shield of privacy."
A screen capture of Anderson's email response posted on The Dish.
Within hours of him coming out, some of Hollywood's biggest stars took to Twitter to share their support and congratulate him.
Ellen DeGeneres, who came out in 1997 on the cover of Time magazine, posted: "I'm proud of you, @AndersonCooper." Neil Patrick Harris, who came out in People magazine in 2006, sent this message: "Good for you, Anderson Cooper. You're awesome." Both posts have been re-tweeted over 5,000 times.
Other stars who have sent messages of support include:
Joan Rivers: "Thrilled Anderson Cooper came out! So, that's why he never wanted to date me! I would've loved having Gloria Vanderbilt as my mother-in-law."
Zach Braff: "Personally I think Anderson Cooper is lying. The silver fox is straight as hell and just trying to jump on the Clay Aiken bandwagon."
Josh Groban: "Wait, I'm sorry I only get my news by creeping up behind water coolers with an iPod in my ears. Anderson Cooper is Gaelic?"
Meanwhile, Anderson's best friend Kathy Griffin, a gay icon and Emmy-winning comedienne who has hosted many New Year's Eve countdowns with him for CNN, shared this photo of the two together. "Here I am with my friend Anderson Cooper, who I'm so proud of."
Anderson with his best bud, comedienne and gay icon Kathy Griffin.
Source: Agencies
Image: Reuters
Published 3rd July 2012
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