Apple CEO Tim Cook: "I'm proud to be gay"

Apple CEO Tim Cook came out on Thursday, after acknowledging the 'open secret' among Silicon Valley that he is gay.

In a moving column published in Bloomberg Businessweek, Cook explains that he had always wanted a "basic level of privacy", but that it was time to speak out to ensure other gay leaders might benefit from his announcement.

"For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is so lucky.

While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me."

According to an article in USA Today, Cook's announcement makes him the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company, said gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.

And it's not hard to see why Cook might have taken his time to publicly announce something as personal as his sexuality. For one, it's personal - why should anyone have to openly talk about gay or straight, as a business leader or otherwise?

But in his column, Cook acknowledges his decision "wasn't an easy choice" because "privacy remains important to me", but says the time was right.

"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."

He also reassures the announcement has no effect or change to who he is as a CEO and a person:

"I’ve made Apple my life’s work, and I will continue to spend virtually all of my waking time focused on being the best CEO I can be. That’s what our employees deserve—and our customers, developers, shareholders, and supplier partners deserve it, too. Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not defined only by one’s sexuality, race, or gender. I’m an engineer, an uncle, a nature lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic, and many other things. I hope that people will respect my desire to focus on the things I’m best suited for and the work that brings me joy."

Photo Credit: The Climate Group, Flickr Creative Commons