CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has
confirmed rumors concerning his sexual orientation, telling Andrew
Sullivan that he's proudly gay.
The 45-year-old Cooper discussed his
sexuality for the first time in a lengthy e-mail published Monday on
Sullivan's blog The
Dish, which is hosted by The Daily Beast.
“I've always believed that who a
reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not
be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist
shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life
shouldn't matter. I've stuck to those principles for my entire
professional career, even when I've been directly asked 'the gay
question,' which happens occasionally. I did not address my sexual
orientation in the memoir I wrote several years ago because it was a
book focused on war, disasters, loss and survival. I didn’t set out
to write about other aspects of my life,” Cooper wrote.
“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,” Cooper added.
(Related: Anderson
Cooper, Kevin Spacey, Jodie Foster urged to come out gay by Perez
Hilton.)