Anderson Cooper publicly confirmed that he is gay on Monday.
The announcement came in an e-mail message that Cooper sent to his friend and fellow journalist, Andrew Sullivan.
Sullivan asked Cooper for some feedback concerning Entertainment Weekly’s recent cover story entitled “The New Art of Coming Out in Hollywood.” The article addresses the recent cultural shift that finds gay celebrities using a new, more casual method of coming out to the public. Cooper gave Sullivan permission to publish this e-mail and show the world that this is not something he wishes to hide.
“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,” Cooper wrote in his e-mail. “This is distressing because it is simply not true.”
He went on to explain that he is, in fact, gay and, furthermore, he is proud to be gay. He also addressed that, as a journalist, his sexual orientation would not change how he reported in any way.
“I’ve never wanted to be any kind of reporter other than a good one, and I do not desire to promote any cause other than the truth,” he said.
He said that being a journalist, traveling, speaking to people and telling their stories has brought great joy to his life and he hopes to continue to be able to do it for a long time.
This cultural shift has taken hold of the television industry and Cooper is now one of a number of openly gay news anchors in the broadcasting business, including his CNN colleagues Don Lemon and Jane Velez-Mitchell, as well as at least three anchors from other broadcasting stations.
“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,” Cooper said toward the end of his e-mail.
He said that visibility is more important to him than being able to maintain a shield of privacy, and Andrew Sullivan concurred, writing, “Me Too.”
