Anderson Cooper has made a private part of his life very public. After being questioned about his sexuality throughout his career, Cooper has finally come out as gay.
"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," the CNN anchor wrote Monday in an open letter to his longtime friend Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast.
Sullivan is an openly gay Catholic who questioned Cooper about his sexuality after an Entertainment Weekly story focusing on gay celebrities who have come out. Cooper finally gave his answer, coming out to the public himself in a letter to Sullivan.
The 45-year-old journalist and host of Anderson Cooper: 360 has long avoided the question about his sexuality because he felt that such a private matter should have no impact on his successful professional career. Starting out as a war correspondent 20 years ago, Cooper didn't want to put himself in further danger by revealing any information about his private life.
"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," Cooper writes in the email with Sullivan. "As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn't matter.
Cooper has known for a long time that he is homosexual, so it hasn't been a secret to his close friends and family.
"I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues," he writes. "In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted.
Cooper decided to come out to fight the stigma that being gay is shameful. He didn't want his denial to appear as embarrassment over the matter as many people in the gay community are bullied and driven to suicide.
"There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, a well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand," he wrote.
Despite his confession, Cooper isn't about to parade around with a rainbow flag. His sexuality is simply just another part of him.
"I'm not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist."
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