After years of speculation, Anderson Cooper has put the debate to rest by coming out. The Anderson Cooper 360 host wrote in an extensive email addressed to “The Daily Beast” blogger Andrew Sullivan that “he is gay, always has been and always will be”. He added that he is comfortable with his orientation and proud of it.
AC360, as he is commonly referred to, has been extremely evasive about his sexual orientation for close to two decades that he has been a major news reporter. It was notable that he avoided the hotly discussed issue in his 2006 memoirs titled “Dispatches from the Edge”. In an interview by Jonathan van Meter for a profile in the “New York” magazine in 2006, he commented that he avoided discussing his sexuality for professional reasons.
He was quoted as saying that as a reporter, he wants to be an observer since the story shouldn’t be about him. He changes tact in his email to Sullivan. He says that maintaining his privacy “would have unintended outcomes that might outweigh his principles – both personal and professional”.
Anderson Cooper becomes the latest public figure to go public about having same-sex preferences. After his statement, the internet went on a frenzy with Anderson Cooper becoming a trending topic on twitter. As much as his coming out caused a stir, his own announcement was strikingly matter-of-fact. This is in line with quite a number of celebrities who have stated their sexual preferences without fanfare. These include Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons as the most recent cases.
His employers, CNN have refused to comment on the matter but showed support for Cooper saying that his letter has spoken for him. Anderson Cooper has raised a discussion on just how far the civil rights of gays and lesbians have developed. It no longer is big news for someone to state their stand. And perhaps that’s how it should be.
