Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday
announced he's gay.
“I'm proud to be gay, and I consider
being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” Cook wrote in
an essay published in Bloomberg
Businessweek.
The 53-year-old Cook has previously
kept quiet about his personal life.
“I don't consider myself an activist,
but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others,”
he added. “So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help
someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring
comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on
their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy.”
The announcement uniquely situates Cook
as the only openly gay CEO in the S&P 500, according to John
Browne, the former CEO of British oil giant BP who was forced to
resign in 2007 after being outed. In promoting his recent book, The
Glass Closet: Why Coming Out is Good for Business, Browne
stated, “If you look at the S&P 500, there isn't one out gay
CEO.”
While quiet about his sexuality, Cook
has been a vocal supporter of gay rights, in particular laws that
prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity.
(Related: Apple's
Tim Cook calls on House to pass gay protections bill ENDA.)