Tim Cook: 'I'm proud to be gay'

Tim Cook: 'I'm proud to be gay'

In an essay for Bloomberg Businessweek, Tim Cook has opened up about his sexuality for the first time, writing "I'm proud to be gay." The piece, entitled Tim Cook Speaks Up, is a first person account from the Apple CEO and contains details about his personal life that Cook had previously chosen to keep private. While I have never denied my sexuality,...

Tim Cook: 'I'm proud to be gay'

In an essay for Bloomberg Businessweek, Tim Cook has opened up about his sexuality for the first time, writing “I’m proud to be gay.” The piece, entitled Tim Cook Speaks Up, is a first person account from the Apple CEO and contains details about his personal life that Cook had previously chosen to keep private.

While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.

Cook also discusses the ways in which his sexuality has provided him an insight into what it means to be part of a minority group and how this has enriched his life:

Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry. It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple.

While Cook had previously chosen to maintain his right to privacy and focus solely on discussing Apple and its products, he feels that publicly acknowledging his homosexuality might serve to help others:

I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize 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.

Since taking over as Apple CEO, Tim Cook has taken steps to improve the company’s commitment to social responsibility — from improving factory conditions in the Far East to participating in Pride events in the company’s home state. Today’s decision is another step towards making Apple a “force for good in the world.”

You can read the entire piece at the source link below.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

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