ABC News Appots Gay Corrponnt G Benez as Co-Anchor of ‘GMA’ Weekends

Contents:

• ANRSON COOPER SHAR WHEN HE REALIZED HE WAS GAY: 'ONE OF THE GREAT BLSGS OF MY LIFE'
• ABC NEWS APPOTS GAY CORRPONNT G BENEZ AS CO-ANCHOR OF ‘GMA’ WEEKENDS
• HOTON NEWS ANCHOR SHAR HE'S GAY & MARRYG A WEATHERMAN ON SOCIAL
• MSNBC HIR ANOTHER GAY ANCHOR (WHO JT CAME OUT 2 YEARS AGO)
• JENNA WOLFE, TODAY SHOW ANCHOR, COM OUT AS GAY, ANNOUNC SHE’S EXPECTG A BABY GIRL WH GIRLIEND STEPHANIE GOSK
• LIVELIHOOD 'ON THE LE,' ANCHORMAN REVEALS HE'S GAY
• SHOP 'GMA3' POWER HOUR ALS FOR LABOR DAY!OPEN MENUVIOSHOPCULTUREFAYWELLNSFOODLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICYYOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTSCHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICYINTERT-BASED ADSTERMS OF USEDO NOT SELL MY INFOCONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHFAYWABC-NY'S BILL RTER: I'M A PROUD LGBTQ+ ALLY AND ALWAYS WILL BE14:36LADY GAGA TO LGBTQ MUNY: 'I WOULD TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU' BYBILL RTERJUNE 22, 2021, 6:48 AMIN CELEBRATN OF PRI MONTH, BILL RTER, ANCHOR AT "EYEWNS NEWS" ON WABC-TV NEW YORK CY, REFLECTS A PERSONAL SAY ABOUT BEG AN LGBTQ+ ALLY. AS A PARENT, BEME EPLY PERSONAL FOR RTER WHEN HIS DGHTER MIA PROUDLY ME OUT AT AGE 17."IF A CHILD OF ME WAS BEG DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR WHO SHE IS, THEN THAT CIVIL RIGHTS VLATN WASN'T JT AGAST HER, WAS AGAST ME AS WELL," RTER WR. "WHEN 'S PERSONAL, 'S POWERFUL."RTER SAYS HIS ALLYSHIP WH THE LGBTQ+ MUNY BEGAN WHILE WORKG AT HIS PARENTS' BETY SUPPLY STORE THE 1960S AT A TIME WHEN MOST GAY PEOPLE WERE EHER FLAMBOYANTLY OUT OF THE CLOSET OR FIRMLY HIDG .READ RTER'S PERSONAL SAY BELOW ABOUT THE MEANG AND IMPORTANCE OF ALLYSHIP.MY DGHTER MIA WAS 17 WHEN SHE ME OUT. SHE WAS BOLD, SHE WAS HONT, SHE WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD. WHAT SHE WASN'T WAS SRED OF OUR REACTN. SHE KNEW THAT HER BABY BOOMER PARENTS AND HER MORN-DAY FAY WOULD EMBRACE HER PRONOUNCEMENT OF WHO SHE WAS, AND WHO SHE IS.WABC-NY'S BILL RTER SHAR A PHOTO OF HIS DGHTER, MIA.COURTY BILL RTERMY REACTN? I WAS SO PROUD OF MIA'S EXPLORATN, DISVERY AND JOURNEY ABOUT HER INTY.BUT I HAD A SEND, TERNAL REACTN -- ONE OF PARENTAL WORRY, BEE MIA HAD E OUT TO A WORLD THAT DIDN'T SEEM PREPARED TO OFFER HER THE SAME KD OF RIGHTS GUARANTEED TO PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T GAY.EDOR’S PICKSABC NEWS' ALEX PEREZ ON G OUT: IT 'ALLOWED ME TO FD AND MARRY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE'OCT 07, 2020ABC NEWS’ G BENEZ WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'IT WILL ALL BE OK'OCT 11, 2022ABC NEWS' STEVE OSUNSAMI WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'YOU'RE GOG TO FD TE LOVE'OCT 11, 2022MORE: ABC NEWS' BECKY WORLEY TO PARENTS ON NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'THIS DAY IS FOR YOU TOO'THE YEAR WAS 2009, AND JT FOUR STAT HAD LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAG. BUT THE TI WAS CHANGG. SIX YEARS LATER, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAG ALL 50 STAT BY STRIKG DOWN THE BANS ON SAME-SEX UNNS.IF A CHILD OF ME WAS BEG DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR WHO SHE IS THEN THAT CIVIL RIGHTS VLATN WASN'T JT AGAST HER, WAS AGAST ME AS WELL.I WATCHED THE TIDAL CHANGE DURG THOSE SIX YEARS WH MORE THAN A BYSTANR'S TERT. THIS DIRECTLY AFFECTED MY OLST CHILD, AND I WAS NOT THE SLIGHTT B IMPARTIAL ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I AM STILL NOT IMPARTIAL. IF A CHILD OF ME WAS BEG DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR WHO SHE IS, THEN THAT CIVIL RIGHTS VLATN WASN'T JT AGAST HER, WAS AGAST ME AS WELL.IT STILL IS. AND, FACT, 'S AGAST ALL OF . I FELT THIS BEFORE MIA ME OUT. I FELT ON BEHALF OF OTHER PARENTS OF GAYS AND LBIANS. BUT THERE'S NO QUTN, WHEN 'S PERSONAL, 'S POWERFUL.WABC-NY'S BILL RTER SHAR A PHOTO WH HIS DGHTER, MIA.COURTY BILL RTERMORE: ABC NEWS' STEVE OSUNSAMI WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'YOU'RE GOG TO FD TE LOVE'I FIRMLY EMBRACED #IAMANALLY AS A MANTRA. AND AS SOCIAL MEDIA GREW, I WAS PROUD OF PUBLICLY TALKG ABOUT BEG AN ALLY, PROUD OF MIA FOR STANDG UP FOR HER RIGHTS, AND NOT SILENT ABOUT BEG WORRIED ABOUT OUR UNTRY FOR NOT PROTECTG THE RIGHTS OF MIA AND ALL GAYS OR LBIANS. THAT EXPAND TO THE LGBTQ+ WORLD THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED.I ALSO BEME AWARE OF SOMETHG ELSE -- SOMETHG SOME PARENTS FELT ABOUT THEIR GAY CHILDREN THE YEARS BEFORE SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS LIKE IVF AND DONOR EGGS BEME AVAILABLE ON A MASS SLE. SOME PARENTS TOLD ME THAT WHILE THEY SUPPORTED THEIR CHILDREN WHO ME OUT, THEY WERE AWARE TYPILLY MEANT THAT, MANY STAT, THEY ULD NOT HAVE CHILDREN OR ADOPT CHILDREN AS A GAY OR LBIAN UPLE. FOR THE PARENTS THAT MEANT NO GRANDKIDS; AND, TRY AS THEY MIGHT TO NOT LET AFFECT THEM, THEY SAID THERE WAS A SADNS TO THAT.BUT WHEN SCIENCE TMPED DARK-AGE PRACTIC AND MEDIL BREAKTHROUGHS ALLOWED FOR ANYONE TO BE ABLE TO DIRECTLY TAKE PART THE BIRTH PROCS, PARENTS' HATN MELTED.IT IS ONE REASON THAT MANY BELIEVE SUPPORT FOR SAME SEX MARRIAG EXPLOD DURG THE OBAMA YEARS WH THE ADVANCE OF SCIENCE AND A SUPPORTIVE WHE HOE ADMISTRATN.FOR ME, I DID NOT FEEL ANY SUCH HATN. PERHAPS WAS MY UPBRGG. I GREW UP WORKG MY PARENTS' BETY SUPPLY STORE. THEY SOLD PRODUCTS TO THE PUBLIC AND TO HAIR DRSERS AT HAIR SALONS. I WORKED THERE SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK AFTER SCHOOL AND, WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE, LIVERED ON THE WEEKENDS TO HAIR SALONS.ALL OF WHICH IS TO SAY THAT, THE 1960S, I GREW UP TERACTG WH LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE GAY AT A TIME WHEN MOST GAY PEOPLE WERE EHER FLAMBOYANTLY OUT OF THE CLOSET -- OR FIRMLY HIDG .I ALSO GREW UP WH PARENTS WHO WERE PASSNATE SUPPORTERS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. MY 15TH BIRTHDAY PRENT WAS GOG TO OUR TEMPLE AND LISTENG TO DR. MART LUTHER KG JR. SPEAK.MY PARENTS WERE NOT ACTIVISTS BY ANY STRETCH, BUT WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT THEIR CTOMERS -- MANY OF WHOM WERE GAY -- THEY MA CLEAR TO THEIR TWO SONS THAT JT AS AIN AMERINS HAD A LACK OF CIVIL RIGHTS, SO TOO DID GAY PEOPLE LARGE PART BEE SO MANY HAD TO KEEP A SECRET ABOUT WHO THEY REALLY WERE.LATER, WHEN I BEME AN ANTI-VIETNAM WAR ACTIVIST, THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT WAS UNRWAY. AND GAY AND LBIAN ACTIVISTS WHO WERE PART OF THE ANTI WAR MOVEMENT WERE QUE VOL ABOUT DISCRIMATN AGAST THEM.AS I GREW UP, I BEME MORE AWARE OF THE TOLL LIFE THE CLOSET TAK ON GAYS AND LBIANS. LATER, NEWSROOMS, THERE WERE OLR GAYS AND LBIANS WHO OPENLY TALKED ABOUT HOW STAYG THE CLOSET AFFECTED THEM GROWG UP, AND THEY MA DARN SURE THEY MENTORED THE YOUNGER JOURNALISTS WHO EHER HAD E OUT OR WERE STGGLG WH G OUT.SO WHEN I E THE HASHTAG #IAMANALLY, I GIVE NOT JT WH PRI FOR MY DGHTER, BUT ALSO TO SALUTE THOSE WHO HELPED PAVED THE WAY FOR THE EEDOMS GAYS AND LBIANS NOW EMBRACE, AND WHO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS TO EXPAND THOSE EEDOMS TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY.AS WE HERALD ANOTHER PRI MONTH, I'M BEYOND PROUD, ONCE AGA, TO BE AN ALLY. AND I PROMISE TO ALWAYS BE.EDOR’S PICKSABC NEWS' ALEX PEREZ ON G OUT: IT 'ALLOWED ME TO FD AND MARRY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE'OCT 07, 2020ABC NEWS’ G BENEZ WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'IT WILL ALL BE OK'OCT 11, 2022ABC NEWS' STEVE OSUNSAMI WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'YOU'RE GOG TO FD TE LOVE'OCT 11, 2022UP NEXT FAY—LEGO SELLG BRAILLE BRICKS FOLLOWG 'OVERWHELMG' FEEDBACKAUGT 31, 202318-YEAR-OLD DONAT KIDNEY TO MOM, ENURAG OTHERS TO ‘BE A DONOR’AUGT 29, 2023MOM SHAR RELATABLE 'AVERAGE' HOE TOUR VIRAL TIKTOK VIOAUGT 28, 2023MOM VI FOR 'MOMICHEL' HONOR FUNNY LUNCH PREP VIOSAUGT 25, 2023UP NEXT FAY—LEGO SELLG BRAILLE BRICKS FOLLOWG 'OVERWHELMG' FEEDBACKAUGT 31, 202318-YEAR-OLD DONAT KIDNEY TO MOM, ENURAG OTHERS TO ‘BE A DONOR’AUGT 29, 2023MOM SHAR RELATABLE 'AVERAGE' HOE TOUR VIRAL TIKTOK VIOAUGT 28, 2023MOM VI FOR 'MOMICHEL' HONOR FUNNY LUNCH PREP VIOSAUGT 25, 2023

ANRSON COOPER SHAR WHEN HE REALIZED HE WAS GAY: 'ONE OF THE GREAT BLSGS OF MY LIFE'

Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Queer televisn newssters have a proment profile many untri around the world. Amerin Charl Perez of ABC News is one to particularly note - he published his book 'Confsns of a Gay News Anchorman' (2011) after his oral of beg fired om a posn Florida when he was intified as beg gay.

For example, France, there is L'associatn s journalist LGBT, and Ameri there is the Natnal Lbian & Gay Journalists Associatn. "I'm not sure I knew the word 'gay' at the time, but I realized somethg was up, " Cooper said a Q&A ssn Monday on CNN's "Full Circle, " addg that he began to tell iends when he was high school but still stggled through llege wh fully lovg himself.

ABC NEWS APPOTS GAY CORRPONNT G BENEZ AS CO-ANCHOR OF ‘GMA’ WEEKENDS

"I thk I really, tly accepted – and not jt accepted , but fully embraced and me around to really lovg the fact that I was gay – would probably be right after llege, " he said. "A lot of the thgs I wanted to do at the time, you uldn't be gay, " he said, cg an tert jog the U.

Ary, though out members of the gay muny were not allowed to serve at the time. The ary's "don't ask, don't tell" policy which prohibed openly gay, lbian and bisexual Amerins om servg, was officially repealed 2011. " He me out as gay to the public on July 2, 2012, allowg iend and wrer Andrew Sullivan to publish an email om him, sayg 'd bee clear that remag silent on the topic had given the false imprsn that he had somethg to hi.

"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I uldn’t be any more happy, fortable wh myself, and proud, " he has sce weled a son, Wyatt Man Cooper, born April 27, 2020 via surrogate.

HOTON NEWS ANCHOR SHAR HE'S GAY & MARRYG A WEATHERMAN ON SOCIAL

"I thk beg gay is one of the great blsgs of my life, " Cooper add on "Full Circle. ABC News has promoted gay rrponnt G Benez by namg him one of the work’s flagship weekend programs’ -anchors.

Pri Month 2021 Special: Benez's 'It will all be OK' Letter to His Younger SelfTransportatn Corrponnt for ABC NewsIn 2019’s Natnal Comg Out Day—which is celebrated worldwi on 11 October remembrance of the 1987 Natnal March on Washgton that was held support of lbian and gay rights—Benez dited a letter to his past self. “Qutns that may flip your whole world upsi-down, ” he openly gay Lato journalist, G Benez is the transportatn rrponnt for ABC News.

MSNBC HIR ANOTHER GAY ANCHOR (WHO JT CAME OUT 2 YEARS AGO)

Is G Benez Gay? G Benez’s Comg Out LetterOn 2019’s Natnal Comg Out Day—which is celebrated worldwi on 11 October remembrance of the 1987 Natnal March on Washgton that was held support of lbian and gay rights—Benez dited a letter to his past self.

"The letter further elaborat on younger Benez’s stggle to f societal norms, his enunter wh homophobia his muny and school, and how he ternalized till adulthood.

The kids at school e the word ‘gay’ as if ’s synonymo wh ‘eww. But that word, ‘gay, ; sticks the longt. Though one iend warns, ‘you n’t be gay and succsful the media, ’ your lleagu will celebrate you.

JENNA WOLFE, TODAY SHOW ANCHOR, COM OUT AS GAY, ANNOUNC SHE’S EXPECTG A BABY GIRL WH GIRLIEND STEPHANIE GOSK

The event brought together leadg lumari om the entertament and sports dtri on 19 May panel discsed the vast range of acplishments, issu, and experienc of LGBTQ+ stars and muny, cludg the creator Ilene Chaiken’s cisn to e out by -creatg LGBTIQ+ seri The L Word for Showtime, actrs Laverne Cox’s reactn to beg the first trans performer of lor to be nomated for an Emmy, the issue of why more sportspersons haven’t e out sce Jason Colls’ breakthrough actns 2013, and how beg told to be ls feme vigorated artist Adam Rippon to bee the first openly gay Amerin to w a 2018 medal at the Wter Olympic Gam among many more. On the other hand, David Muir is not gay. Steven Romo A news anchor at Hoton’s KTRK, Steven Romo, me out as gay a movg Instagram post about secrets and how he thought he would never fd te love.

“But what they didn’t know, and was arguably even more difficult, was that I had a secret to rry all on my own: I was gay and tryg wh all my heart not to be.

LIVELIHOOD 'ON THE LE,' ANCHORMAN REVEALS HE'S GAY

”Romo add that although ’s anthetil to what he learned the church, “beg gay saved me. Wh the announcement this week that liberal journalist Steve Kornacki of Salon will take over weekend roundtable show, Up, MSNBC is addg s third openly gay anchor to the lp. Maddow, who is gay, often lled upon Kornacki as a Roberts, who was recently married to Patrick Abner New York, also hosts his own midday show on the channel and was before that anchor for The Advote's onle newsst, which is no longer productn.

SHOP 'GMA3' POWER HOUR ALS FOR LABOR DAY!OPEN MENUVIOSHOPCULTUREFAYWELLNSFOODLIVGSTYLETRAVELNEWSBOOK CLUBGMA3: WYNTKNEWSLETTERPRIVACY POLICYYOUR US STATE PRIVACY RIGHTSCHILDREN'S ONLE PRIVACY POLICYINTERT-BASED ADSTERMS OF USEDO NOT SELL MY INFOCONTACT USCOPYRIGHT © 2023 ABC NEWS INTER VENTUR. ALL RIGHTS RERVED.SEARCHFAYWABC-NY'S BILL RTER: I'M A PROUD LGBTQ+ ALLY AND ALWAYS WILL BE14:36LADY GAGA TO LGBTQ MUNY: 'I WOULD TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU' BYBILL RTERJUNE 22, 2021, 6:48 AMIN CELEBRATN OF PRI MONTH, BILL RTER, ANCHOR AT "EYEWNS NEWS" ON WABC-TV NEW YORK CY, REFLECTS A PERSONAL SAY ABOUT BEG AN LGBTQ+ ALLY. AS A PARENT, BEME EPLY PERSONAL FOR RTER WHEN HIS DGHTER MIA PROUDLY ME OUT AT AGE 17."IF A CHILD OF ME WAS BEG DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR WHO SHE IS, THEN THAT CIVIL RIGHTS VLATN WASN'T JT AGAST HER, WAS AGAST ME AS WELL," RTER WR. "WHEN 'S PERSONAL, 'S POWERFUL."RTER SAYS HIS ALLYSHIP WH THE LGBTQ+ MUNY BEGAN WHILE WORKG AT HIS PARENTS' BETY SUPPLY STORE THE 1960S AT A TIME WHEN MOST GAY PEOPLE WERE EHER FLAMBOYANTLY OUT OF THE CLOSET OR FIRMLY HIDG .READ RTER'S PERSONAL SAY BELOW ABOUT THE MEANG AND IMPORTANCE OF ALLYSHIP.MY DGHTER MIA WAS 17 WHEN SHE ME OUT. SHE WAS BOLD, SHE WAS HONT, SHE WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD. WHAT SHE WASN'T WAS SRED OF OUR REACTN. SHE KNEW THAT HER BABY BOOMER PARENTS AND HER MORN-DAY FAY WOULD EMBRACE HER PRONOUNCEMENT OF WHO SHE WAS, AND WHO SHE IS.WABC-NY'S BILL RTER SHAR A PHOTO OF HIS DGHTER, MIA.COURTY BILL RTERMY REACTN? I WAS SO PROUD OF MIA'S EXPLORATN, DISVERY AND JOURNEY ABOUT HER INTY.BUT I HAD A SEND, TERNAL REACTN -- ONE OF PARENTAL WORRY, BEE MIA HAD E OUT TO A WORLD THAT DIDN'T SEEM PREPARED TO OFFER HER THE SAME KD OF RIGHTS GUARANTEED TO PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T GAY.EDOR’S PICKSABC NEWS' ALEX PEREZ ON G OUT: IT 'ALLOWED ME TO FD AND MARRY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE'OCT 07, 2020ABC NEWS’ G BENEZ WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'IT WILL ALL BE OK'OCT 11, 2022ABC NEWS' STEVE OSUNSAMI WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'YOU'RE GOG TO FD TE LOVE'OCT 11, 2022MORE: ABC NEWS' BECKY WORLEY TO PARENTS ON NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'THIS DAY IS FOR YOU TOO'THE YEAR WAS 2009, AND JT FOUR STAT HAD LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAG. BUT THE TI WAS CHANGG. SIX YEARS LATER, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAG ALL 50 STAT BY STRIKG DOWN THE BANS ON SAME-SEX UNNS.IF A CHILD OF ME WAS BEG DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR WHO SHE IS THEN THAT CIVIL RIGHTS VLATN WASN'T JT AGAST HER, WAS AGAST ME AS WELL.I WATCHED THE TIDAL CHANGE DURG THOSE SIX YEARS WH MORE THAN A BYSTANR'S TERT. THIS DIRECTLY AFFECTED MY OLST CHILD, AND I WAS NOT THE SLIGHTT B IMPARTIAL ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I AM STILL NOT IMPARTIAL. IF A CHILD OF ME WAS BEG DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR WHO SHE IS, THEN THAT CIVIL RIGHTS VLATN WASN'T JT AGAST HER, WAS AGAST ME AS WELL.IT STILL IS. AND, FACT, 'S AGAST ALL OF . I FELT THIS BEFORE MIA ME OUT. I FELT ON BEHALF OF OTHER PARENTS OF GAYS AND LBIANS. BUT THERE'S NO QUTN, WHEN 'S PERSONAL, 'S POWERFUL.WABC-NY'S BILL RTER SHAR A PHOTO WH HIS DGHTER, MIA.COURTY BILL RTERMORE: ABC NEWS' STEVE OSUNSAMI WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'YOU'RE GOG TO FD TE LOVE'I FIRMLY EMBRACED #IAMANALLY AS A MANTRA. AND AS SOCIAL MEDIA GREW, I WAS PROUD OF PUBLICLY TALKG ABOUT BEG AN ALLY, PROUD OF MIA FOR STANDG UP FOR HER RIGHTS, AND NOT SILENT ABOUT BEG WORRIED ABOUT OUR UNTRY FOR NOT PROTECTG THE RIGHTS OF MIA AND ALL GAYS OR LBIANS. THAT EXPAND TO THE LGBTQ+ WORLD THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED.I ALSO BEME AWARE OF SOMETHG ELSE -- SOMETHG SOME PARENTS FELT ABOUT THEIR GAY CHILDREN THE YEARS BEFORE SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS LIKE IVF AND DONOR EGGS BEME AVAILABLE ON A MASS SLE. SOME PARENTS TOLD ME THAT WHILE THEY SUPPORTED THEIR CHILDREN WHO ME OUT, THEY WERE AWARE TYPILLY MEANT THAT, MANY STAT, THEY ULD NOT HAVE CHILDREN OR ADOPT CHILDREN AS A GAY OR LBIAN UPLE. FOR THE PARENTS THAT MEANT NO GRANDKIDS; AND, TRY AS THEY MIGHT TO NOT LET AFFECT THEM, THEY SAID THERE WAS A SADNS TO THAT.BUT WHEN SCIENCE TMPED DARK-AGE PRACTIC AND MEDIL BREAKTHROUGHS ALLOWED FOR ANYONE TO BE ABLE TO DIRECTLY TAKE PART THE BIRTH PROCS, PARENTS' HATN MELTED.IT IS ONE REASON THAT MANY BELIEVE SUPPORT FOR SAME SEX MARRIAG EXPLOD DURG THE OBAMA YEARS WH THE ADVANCE OF SCIENCE AND A SUPPORTIVE WHE HOE ADMISTRATN.FOR ME, I DID NOT FEEL ANY SUCH HATN. PERHAPS WAS MY UPBRGG. I GREW UP WORKG MY PARENTS' BETY SUPPLY STORE. THEY SOLD PRODUCTS TO THE PUBLIC AND TO HAIR DRSERS AT HAIR SALONS. I WORKED THERE SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK AFTER SCHOOL AND, WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE, LIVERED ON THE WEEKENDS TO HAIR SALONS.ALL OF WHICH IS TO SAY THAT, THE 1960S, I GREW UP TERACTG WH LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE GAY AT A TIME WHEN MOST GAY PEOPLE WERE EHER FLAMBOYANTLY OUT OF THE CLOSET -- OR FIRMLY HIDG .I ALSO GREW UP WH PARENTS WHO WERE PASSNATE SUPPORTERS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. MY 15TH BIRTHDAY PRENT WAS GOG TO OUR TEMPLE AND LISTENG TO DR. MART LUTHER KG JR. SPEAK.MY PARENTS WERE NOT ACTIVISTS BY ANY STRETCH, BUT WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT THEIR CTOMERS -- MANY OF WHOM WERE GAY -- THEY MA CLEAR TO THEIR TWO SONS THAT JT AS AIN AMERINS HAD A LACK OF CIVIL RIGHTS, SO TOO DID GAY PEOPLE LARGE PART BEE SO MANY HAD TO KEEP A SECRET ABOUT WHO THEY REALLY WERE.LATER, WHEN I BEME AN ANTI-VIETNAM WAR ACTIVIST, THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT WAS UNRWAY. AND GAY AND LBIAN ACTIVISTS WHO WERE PART OF THE ANTI WAR MOVEMENT WERE QUE VOL ABOUT DISCRIMATN AGAST THEM.AS I GREW UP, I BEME MORE AWARE OF THE TOLL LIFE THE CLOSET TAK ON GAYS AND LBIANS. LATER, NEWSROOMS, THERE WERE OLR GAYS AND LBIANS WHO OPENLY TALKED ABOUT HOW STAYG THE CLOSET AFFECTED THEM GROWG UP, AND THEY MA DARN SURE THEY MENTORED THE YOUNGER JOURNALISTS WHO EHER HAD E OUT OR WERE STGGLG WH G OUT.SO WHEN I E THE HASHTAG #IAMANALLY, I GIVE NOT JT WH PRI FOR MY DGHTER, BUT ALSO TO SALUTE THOSE WHO HELPED PAVED THE WAY FOR THE EEDOMS GAYS AND LBIANS NOW EMBRACE, AND WHO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS TO EXPAND THOSE EEDOMS TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY.AS WE HERALD ANOTHER PRI MONTH, I'M BEYOND PROUD, ONCE AGA, TO BE AN ALLY. AND I PROMISE TO ALWAYS BE.EDOR’S PICKSABC NEWS' ALEX PEREZ ON G OUT: IT 'ALLOWED ME TO FD AND MARRY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE'OCT 07, 2020ABC NEWS’ G BENEZ WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'IT WILL ALL BE OK'OCT 11, 2022ABC NEWS' STEVE OSUNSAMI WR LETTER TO HIS YOUNGER SELF FOR NATNAL COMG OUT DAY: 'YOU'RE GOG TO FD TE LOVE'OCT 11, 2022UP NEXT FAY—LEGO SELLG BRAILLE BRICKS FOLLOWG 'OVERWHELMG' FEEDBACKAUGT 31, 202318-YEAR-OLD DONAT KIDNEY TO MOM, ENURAG OTHERS TO ‘BE A DONOR’AUGT 29, 2023MOM SHAR RELATABLE 'AVERAGE' HOE TOUR VIRAL TIKTOK VIOAUGT 28, 2023MOM VI FOR 'MOMICHEL' HONOR FUNNY LUNCH PREP VIOSAUGT 25, 2023UP NEXT FAY—LEGO SELLG BRAILLE BRICKS FOLLOWG 'OVERWHELMG' FEEDBACKAUGT 31, 202318-YEAR-OLD DONAT KIDNEY TO MOM, ENURAG OTHERS TO ‘BE A DONOR’AUGT 29, 2023MOM SHAR RELATABLE 'AVERAGE' HOE TOUR VIRAL TIKTOK VIOAUGT 28, 2023MOM VI FOR 'MOMICHEL' HONOR FUNNY LUNCH PREP VIOSAUGT 25, 2023

It's 2011, after all, and I live Manhattan, surround social and profsnal settgs by gay people. They didn't thk I was terted any kd of relatnship - straight or gay.

In a special appearance on Today and, later, a blog on the show's webse, the 39-year-old NBC rrponnt me out as gay and announced that she and her girliend, fellow NBC journalist Stephanie Gosk, are expectg a dghter at the end of Augt. CNN anchorman Don Lemon says his mentors and agents challenged him to nsir whether he was willg to wear "the gay anchor" label throughout his reer.

One more facet of his life that he is revealg publicly for the first time: He is gay. "Do I want to be 'the gay anchor'? After all, Amerins say they are acceptg of homosexualy by nearly a two-to-one marg.