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

[Martinus]

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

Apple CEO Tim Cook has written about his sexuality for the first time, in the hope that he can 'help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is'

Apple chief executive Tim Cook is "proud to be gay", he says in an essay published on Thursday.

"I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," he continues in Bloomberg Businessweek.

"I'll admit that this wasn't an easy choice," Cook writes. "Privacy remains important to me, and I'd like to hold on to a small amount of it."

The head of Apple, who took over from Steve Jobs in 2011, has never publicly denied his sexuality, to the extent that many considered it public knowledge that he was gay.

Out magazine listed him on its 2013 "power list", while tech blog Valleywag castigated the New York Times for erasing Cook when it wrote in May that "there is not a single openly gay chief executive at the nation's 1,000 biggest companies."

But until today, Cook had also never confirmed that he is a gay man, to the extent that a CNBC anchor caused a minor fracas in June when he described Cook as "fairly open about the fact that he's gay".

"I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefitted from the sacrifice of others," Cook writes in his essay. "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."

While the essay is the first place Cook has publicly confirmed his sexuality, it's not the first time he's taken a stance against discrimination against LGBT people. In June, he tweeted his support for the White House's decision to ban LGBT discrimination at federal contractors, calling it "a matter of basic human dignity". And in February, he congratulated the coach of his hometown college football team for saying he would be fine with a gay player on the team.

Good for him to finally say this although he has been in a glass closet for several years now.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/30/apple-chief-tim-cook-proud-to-be-gay

[Eddie Teach]

Another thread for Marty to show off his favorite gift.   

[Martinus]

Another thread for Marty to show off his favorite gift.   

Do you mean gayness or Apple products?

[Eddie Teach]

I meant the first, if I'd meant the second I would have said BB. 

[Viking]

Is gheyness something he achieved? How can he be proud of it?

[Neil]

Is gheyness something he achieved? How can he be proud of it?

Identity politics are very important to a lot of people.

[Tamas]

Is gheyness something he achieved? How can he be proud of it?

I guess if you can be proud of your nationality, you can be proud of which sex gives you a boner.

[Martinus]

Is gheyness something he achieved? How can he be proud of it?

I guess if you can be proud of your nationality, you can be proud of which sex gives you a boner.

Yeah. Besides "proud to be gay" has been used quite widely for a long time now and pretty much everyone can understand what it means when used in the context of someone coming to terms with his or her sexuality, especially in a society that is not fully accepting yet. Taking an exception with this expression means one is either anti-gay (and uses a semantic quibble to express one's general opposition to things gay) or mildly autistic. It's like the people who deconstruct words like "antisemitic" or "homophobic" - usually it is a way to passively aggressively express one's disapproval of Jews or gays, while trying to appear "objective".

[Martim Silva]

We all knew Apple stuff was just gay. So, this comes merely as a confirmation.

(I would not be surprised if Apple PCs are not used among gays as a modern way to identify themselves).

Now, question is: it is now time for all Languish Mac users to finally come out of the closet? 

[MadImmortalMan]

AAPL is crashing. I'm not joking it really is. Not a ton, but like a dollar in a minute.


Edit: Tim Cook is gay? OMG find the guy who is surprised and buy him a macbook!

[derspiess]

Is gheyness something he achieved? How can he be proud of it?

Identity politics are very important to a lot of people.

No shit.  Seems a rather simple-minded approach, though.

[MadImmortalMan]

If most peoples' identity were tied up in who they have sex with, the world would be a horrible place.

[garbon]

Is gheyness something he achieved? How can he be proud of it?

Identity politics are very important to a lot of people.

No shit.  Seems a rather simple-minded approach, though.

I only think it is nice as an indicator of how things are changing. Well that and how he managed to become the head of a large multinational despite the handicap of being gay.

[garbon]

If most peoples' identity were tied up in who they have sex with, the world would be a horrible place.

I would say that a lot of straight people's identity is tied up with whom they have sex with, it just isn't perceived that way - much in the same that white people don't generally think about their racial identity or men who didn't think much in terms of their gendered identity.

I agree though that yes, we shouldn't overemphasize just one of our many facets that make up our identities.

[MadImmortalMan]

Oooo I wonder what notorious Apple-phile Rush Limbaugh will be saying about this.