Tim Cook Apple CEO Tim Cook has spoken publicly for the first time about his sexuality, stating “I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” In a column for Bloomberg Businessweek, the man who is one of the most powerful people in the tech industry, says while he never denied his sexuality, he never publicly acknowledged it, either. He says for years he’s been open with many people about his sexual orientation and that plenty of his Apple colleagues know he is gay. “I’ve come to realise that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important,” he writes. “I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realise how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others. 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.” Cook has been rallying for his home state, Alabama, to improve its protection of lgbti rights. He topped Out magazine’s Power List in 2013, and was ranked only behind Ellen DeGeneres this year, dubbed “the most powerful gay man in corporate America”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 31st October 2014 - 7:57am