Belated Happy Pride Day and Happy Canada Day wishes for all!
This news from CNN star Anderson Cooper was a nice post-Pride gift this morning. The silver fox have finally made it official and come out of the closet.
In an email to blogger Andrew Sullivan, Anderson writes: "I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons. Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people’s stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist."
I completely agree, particularly about the potential dangers an out and famous gay person might face simply for being honest in most parts of the world. But let's face it. His longtime reluctance to make his gayness official sent out the wrong message and that seems to have finally tipped the balance in his decision to come out publicly today:
"Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true...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."
We need to send the message that being gay is not a big deal, it's a natural part of the human experience and nothing to be ashamed about. Anderson Cooper reinforced that truth today. Good on him!
You can read the full story here on Andrew Sullivan's Daily Beast page.