It’s kind of been the worst kept secret in the world that silver fox Anderson Cooper is gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (because let’s face it: if you’re homophobic, you are clearly reading the wrong blog.) but still, it’s been pretty common knowledge that Anderson was gay, and although he never addressed it on air or in his work, was pretty much open about it in his personal life. And now, in an email to Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Beast (that was printed with Cooper’s permission, FYI) it looks like he’s finally coming out publicly.
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. 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.
[...] I love, and I am loved.
In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God’s greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life. I appreciate your asking me to weigh in on this, and I would be happy for you to share my thoughts with your readers. I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn’t mean an end to a small amount of personal space. But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter’s shield of privacy.
While I don’t necessarily think staying in the closet is the best thing you can do, I do at least respect the reason why he did it: he’s a journalist, and as such, it’s his job to report the news, rather than be the news. Which I appreciate, considering the current climate for political discourse is grabbing any idiot reality TV star you can find and then giving them enough money until crazy comes pouring out of their face.
About Jeremy Feist
