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

[Valmy]

That is why something like "glass closet" can work and Liberace's fans were convinced he is straight.

Things were different 40 years ago.  For one thing Out Magazine was about 20 years away from publishing.

[Martinus]

That is why something like "glass closet" can work and Liberace's fans were convinced he is straight.

Things were different 40 years ago.  For one thing Out Magazine was about 20 years away from publishing.

People can still be very clueless these days and assume heterosexuality unless explicitly told to the contrary.

A work colleague of mine, with whom I am pretty close, did not register I am gay when I told her (when asked about marriage plans) that "I have someone in my life" but "not planning to marry that *person* in any near future, due to Polish law reasons". She assumed at the time my girlfriend is a foreigner or something. 

[Josquius]

Pretty sensible assunption given only 5% or so of people are gay though

[garbon]

assume heterosexuality unless explicitly told to the contrary.

Well it is a useful heuristic given that that assumption will accurately cover most people one meets.

edit: ugh, Jos and I shared a thought.

[Martinus]

assume heterosexuality unless explicitly told to the contrary.

Well it is a useful heuristic given that that assumption will accurately cover most people one meets.

edit: ugh, Jos and I shared a thought.

I'm sorry.

[Valmy]

People can still be very clueless these days and assume heterosexuality unless explicitly told to the contrary.

True but back then it was considered unbelievably gauche and rude to assume somebody was gay unless explicitely told so, because being gay was not considered a good thing.  I mean even if you walked in on Liberace in an all-male three-way in the 60s or 70s you still might just pretend, for his sake, he was heterosexual.

I mean there were laws against this sort of thing in some places back then.

[MadImmortalMan]

Yeah there's way too much risk in assuming gay without being told. People don't really do that to be offensive.

[Barrister]

Yeah there's way too much risk in assuming gay without being told. People don't really do that to be offensive.

Yeah.  I don't care how large a woman's stomach is, I don't ask "so when's the baby due" unless I have confirmation that lady is pregnant.

I mean - there's a prosecutor in my office who comes across as flamingly gay.  Yet he never talks about being gay, and in fact throws off these off-hand comments about someday meeting a woman to get married to.  Nobody believes it for a second, but if he doesn't want to come out as being gay, who are we to confront him on it?  If he wants to come out (and we have several gay prosecutors, so it'd be no big deal) then we'll be happy for him, but until then we'll play along.  It's only polite.

[CountDeMoney]

Yeah.  I don't care how large a woman's stomach is, I don't ask "so when's the baby due" unless I have confirmation that lady is pregnant.

I mean - there's a prosecutor in my office who comes across as flamingly gay.  Yet he never talks about being gay, and in fact throws off these off-hand comments about someday meeting a woman to get married to.  Nobody believes it for a second, but if he doesn't want to come out as being gay, who are we to confront him on it?  If he wants to come out (and we have several gay prosecutors, so it'd be no big deal) then we'll be happy for him, but until then we'll play along.  It's only polite.

Maybe he's Lyle, the Effeminate Heterosexual:

https://screen.yahoo.com/lyle-effeminate-heterosexual-000000444.html

[Martinus]

People can still be very clueless these days and assume heterosexuality unless explicitly told to the contrary.

True but back then it was considered unbelievably gauche and rude to assume somebody was gay unless explicitely told so, because being gay was not considered a good thing.  I mean even if you walked in on Liberace in an all-male three-way in the 60s or 70s you still might just pretend, for his sake, he was heterosexual.

I mean there were laws against this sort of thing in some places back then.

Yeah but that is different thing from the example I mentioned.

[Sheilbh]

Well, many straight people were on the cover of Out. And you would be surprised how few people out of the straight public really read or are aware of these things - most straight people I talked to were not aware Tim Cook is or might be gay - now they know because this news is being reported by all major agencies. Most people are clueless about reality (especially if it does not concern the part of it they are particularly concerned with). That is why something like "glass closet" can work and Liberace's fans were convinced he is straight.

Yeah but he was on the front cover as 'the most powerful gay man in the world'

I get that it's good to have openly gay CEOs/corporate figures and that maybe being Apple is a bit of a special case given the Urbi et Orbi addresses its CEO has to give, but I still find this a little weird.

From what I understand he was always openly gay at work and in business. For me that is being publicly gay - in your public, work life you are open about your sexuality. I don't think it makes a significant difference that he's now made a media statement too and I'm not sure that basically once you reach a certain level of prominence openness isn't enough and you need to speak to the press.

[garbon]

I don't think it makes a significant difference that he's now made a media statement too and I'm not sure that basically once you reach a certain level of prominence openness isn't enough and you need to speak to the press.

Well as was noted in this thread, that one reporter got a story written about him with his faux pas of mentioning that Cook was fairly open about being gay.