CNN anchor Anrson Cooper on when he realized he was gay

Contents:

• WHY AMERI CHANGED S MD ON GAY MARRIAGE
• THE GAY MARRIAGE WDFALL
• ANRSON COOPER SHAR WHEN HE REALIZED HE WAS GAY: 'ONE OF THE GREAT BLSGS OF MY LIFE'
• GAY MARRIAGE TIMELE

WHY AMERI CHANGED S MD ON GAY MARRIAGE

They clud Judh Kasen-Wdsor, widow of gay rights activist Edie Wdsor; Matthew Hayn, -owner of Club Q, the LGBTQ club Colorado Sprgs where a gunman last month killed five people a mass shootg; Club Q shootg survivors Jam Slgh and Michael Anrson; and a number of platiffs om s that culmated the landmark civil rights se Obergefell vs.

THE GAY MARRIAGE WDFALL

Philanthropist and Democratic donor David Boht, who has been an outspoken gay- and transgenr-rights activist and longtime supporter of Bin, told CNN that Tuday’s bill signg uld not e at a more ccial moment. The se ma s way to the US Supreme Court, which dismissed an appeal 2013 over same-sex marriage on jurisdictnal grounds, lg private parti did not have standg to fend California’s voter-approved ballot measure barrg gay and lbian upl om state-sanctned wedlock. Kennedy has wrten the opn signifint gay rights s and when he uttered the key sentence that same-sex upl should be able to exercise the right to marry all stat, people the Court’s public gallery broke to s and some wiped tears om their ey.

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

Hundreds of same-sex marriage supporters flood the plaza and siwalk ont of the Court to celebrate the lg, proudly wavg rabow flags and banners wh the Human Rights Campaign’s equal sign, which have e to reprent the gay rights movement. Attorney John Bursch, servg as Michigan’s Special Assistant Attorney General, fend four stat’ bans on gay marriage before the Court, argug that the se was not about how to fe marriage, but rather about who gets to ci the qutn. “It is simply untenable – untenable – to suggt that they n be nied the right of equal participatn an stutn of marriage, or that they n be required to wa until the majory cis that is ready to treat gay and lbian people as equals.

GAY MARRIAGE TIMELE

And this month, Thailand edged closer to beg the first place Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex unns when lawmakers passed four different bills aimg to provi greater rights to gay upl, such as the abily to adopt children and manage assets jotly. Three-quarters of Amerins now say they have a relative, iend or -worker who is gay and lns have bee ed to sympathetic gay and lbian characters on televisn and to openly gay talk-show hosts and entertaers.

Once beme a vlatn of dividual rights to prevent prisoners, ter-racial upl, flight attendants, and female teachers om marryg, gays and lbians uld argue that they, too, should have the right to marry a partner of their choice. The northern Italian cy of Padua has started removg the nam of non-blogil gay mothers om their children’s birth certifit unr new legislatn passed by the “tradnal fay-first” ernment of Prime Mister Grgia Meloni. “There is no discrimatn agast children, ” Fay Mister Eugenia Roccella told parliament when she troduced the bill June, explag that the children of gay upl would have accs to school and medil servic jt like those who only have one livg parent.

But only about 50, 000 same-sex upl have married, acrdg to the Williams Instute for Sexual Orientatn Law and Public Policy at more stat legalize gay marriage, all of that pent-up mand uld trigger a weddg boom, sparkg enomic activy as more upl book venu, buy weddg k, jewelry and marriage licens, and secure hotel rooms for guts.

Coupl spend $27, 021 on average on a weddg, acrdg to a survey of gay and straight newlyweds by Although same-sex upl generally spend ls, that still leav room for a signifint wdfall to the $74 billn weddg dtry if more upl marry.

Print Obama's support of marriage equaly for same-sex upl uld spur more stat to allow gay upl to legally marry and the eventual repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 feral law that rerv marriage for a man and a same-sex marriage rights were granted natnwi, same-sex weddgs would generate a $1 billn each year for the Feral budget over the next 10 years, acrdg to a 2004 report by Congrsnal Budget Office.

"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.