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

Contents:

• APPLE CEO TIM COOK SAID HE CID TO E OUT AS GAY AFTER READG LETTERS OM KIDS STGGLG WH THEIR INTY
• APPLE'S TIM COOK: 'SO LET ME BE CLEAR: I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT AS GAY: I'M PROUD
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• THE RNER CLOSET: WHY THERE ARE SO FEW GAY AND TRANSGENR EXECUTIV RPORATE AMERI
• MAN SU APPLE CLAIMG IPHONE TURNED HIM GAY
• WHY ARE APPLE ERS SO GAY?

APPLE CEO TIM COOK SAID HE CID TO E OUT AS GAY AFTER READG LETTERS OM KIDS STGGLG WH THEIR INTY

Apple CEO Tim Cook says he was motivated to publicly e out as gay after receivg letters om children stgglg wh their sexual an terview wh People en Español, Cook discsed his public g out and his msage to children uncerta about revealg their sexual, now 58, me out 2014, beg the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 's ments e amid a tough spell for the Apple CEO, who has faced cricism for his cisn earlier this month to remove om the App Store an app that allowed Hong Kong protters to track police Bs Insir's homepage for more stori. Tim Cook says he was motivated to e out as gay after receivg letters om children stgglg wh their sexual ually private Apple CEO publicly me out 2014, revealg his sexual orientatn an open letter published Bloomberg Bsweek. This ma him the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 an terview wh People en Español published Thursday, the 58-year-old spoke about a range of topics related to sexual orientatn and young people.

"Though Cook said he "didn't worry" about how Apple staff would react to his g out, he did acknowledge worryg about the reactn "outsi of Apple, " and noted that "the world is still not iendly to gay or trans people many untri but also wh our untry. " He ntued: "Gay is not a limatn.

APPLE'S TIM COOK: 'SO LET ME BE CLEAR: I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'

"Cook add that beg gay gave him a lens to how other people thk and feel.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT AS GAY: I'M PROUD

"I'm proud to be gay. I nsir beg gay among the greatt gifts God has given me, " Cook said an 800-word say posted on Bloomberg Bsweek. "Beg gay has given me a eper unrstandg of what means to be the mory and provid a wdow to the challeng that people other mory groups al wh every day.

"Plenty of lleagu at Apple know I'm gay, and don't seem to make a difference the way they treat me, " Cook wrote. So if hearg that the CEO of Apple is gay n help someone stgglg to e to terms wh who he or she is, or brg fort to anyone who feels alone, or spire people to sist on their equaly, then 's worth the tra-off wh my own privacy.

"Dpe never publicly acknowledgg his sexualy before, Cook has for several years topped Out magaze's annual list of the most powerful and fluential gay men and women the US. As recently as September, Cook tweeted support of the At, Texas, pri para celebratg gay rights. " Cook on Thursday said beg gay has been "tough and unfortable at tim, but has given me the nfince to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversy and bigotry.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'

One more years of stayg relatively silent, Apple CEO Tim Cook me out as gay on Thursday for the first time publicly, sayg that "while I have never nied my sexualy, I haven't publicly acknowledged eher, until now. ""So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I nsir beg gay among the greatt gifts God has given me. "'"So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I nsir beg gay among the greatt gifts God has given me, " Cook said Bsweek, beg the first Fortune 500 chief executive to e out, who took over the role 2011 shortly before the ath of Apple founr Steve Jobs, wr that he's been open about his sexualy wh many people his life, cludg "plenty" of his Apple lleagu, and that hasn't changed the way he's been treated.

He ntu the post:"Beg gay has given me a eper unrstandg of what means to be the mory and provid a wdow to the challeng that people other mory groups al wh every day.

"RELATED: Apple CEO tells climate change niers to sell their Apple sharThe Natnal Gay & Lbian Chamber of Commerce praised Cook for g out, wrg a statement that "The bs voice of the LGBT muny, mends Tim Cook for his movg and heartfelt g out say... Wyomg on Tuday beme the 32nd state to legalize gay marriage, jog several other nservative areas allowg same-sex lossal shift go for public opn, too.

THE RNER CLOSET: WHY THERE ARE SO FEW GAY AND TRANSGENR EXECUTIV RPORATE AMERI

A recent poll shows half of the Amerin public believ gay marriage is a nstutnal right, wh 50% sayg that same-sex marriage is protected by the U. The numbers support of marriage equaly this year far surpass those om a siar survey 2004, when jt 32% of Amerins said they favored gay as a pany has been a strong supporter of marriage equaly. " And Cook himself has been a vol supporter of gay rights over the years.

"In December 2013, a speech Cook gave on gay rights and racism -- cludg personal discrimatn -- led some media outlets, cludg Gawker's tech se Valleywag, to ponr if that was the first time the Apple CEO acknowledged his sexual orientatn publicly. This summer, a CNBC segment of "Squawk on the Street" turned heads when one host accintally "outed" Cook, sayg “I thk Tim Cook is fairly open about the fact that he’s gay at the head of Apple isn’t he? Apple CEO Tim Cook me out Thursday, acknowledgg publicly for the first time that he is gay.

"Let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I nsir beg gay among the greatt gifts God has given me, " he wrote a lumn Bloomberg Bsweek. "So if hearg that the CEO of Apple is gay n help someone stgglg to e to terms wh who he or she is, or brg fort to anyone who feels alone, or spire people to sist on their equaly, then 's worth the tra-off wh my own privacy.

MAN SU APPLE CLAIMG IPHONE TURNED HIM GAY

" Related: Tim Cook isn't the only openly gay CEO Cook, who grew up Alabama, said he has long been open about his sexual orientatn, but had jt not prevly discsed publicly. "Plenty of lleagu at Apple know I'm gay, and don't seem to make a difference the way they treat me, " he wrote. " There have been some mors and speculatn that Cook is gay.

WHY ARE APPLE ERS SO GAY?

Out magaze had prevly named him as the most powerful gay person on s Power 50 list. But there are no other publicly gay CEO's at the 700 largt rporatns.