Tim Cook's Comg Out: Why the Apple CEO's Gay Statement Is Powerful | Time

Contents:

• TIM COOK: BEG GAY IS GOD’S GREATT GIFT TO ME
• WATCH TIM COOK EXPLA WHY HE CAME OUT AS GAY
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT AS GAY: I'M PROUD
• COOK: BEG GAY ‘IS GOD’S GREATT GIFT TO ME’
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK SAID HE CID TO E OUT AS GAY AFTER READG LETTERS OM KIDS STGGLG WH THEIR INTY
• WHY IS APPLE'S TIM COOK THE ONLY OPENLY GAY CEO OF A MAJOR US FIRM?
• TIM COOK: 'I NSIR BEG GAY AMONG THE GREATT GIFTS GOD HAS GIVEN ME'
• TIM COOK SAYS BEG GAY IS 'GOD'S GREATT GIFT TO ME'
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK IS 'PROUD TO BE GAY'
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK: ‘I’M PROUD TO BE GAY’
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK: "I’M PROUD TO BE GAY"
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK AGA SAYS BEG GAY ‘IS A GIFT FROM GOD.’ WHY IT MIGHT MEAN MORE THIS TIME AROUND
• BS, MEDIA AND ACTIVIST BIGWIGS RPOND TO TIM COOK’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE’S GAY
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• TIM COOK AND THE END OF GAY RIGHTS AS A WEDGE ISSUE

TIM COOK: BEG GAY IS GOD’S GREATT GIFT TO ME

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, " 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...

WATCH TIM COOK EXPLA WHY HE CAME OUT AS GAY

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. 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.

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

"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 tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour why he was spired to e out as gay after seeg people bullied onle for their sexual orientatn. 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.

COOK: BEG GAY ‘IS GOD’S GREATT GIFT TO ME’

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.

Image source, Getty ImagIt's pretty startlg that among the chief executiv of the 500 biggt US pani only one, Tim Cook of Apple, is openly claratn this week that he is "proud to be gay" was hailed as an important moment for the gay muny. Campaigners say they know of boss of other big firms who are gay, but are reluctant to be open about hope Mr Cook's public acknowledgement will spur them to e what is holdg them back?

Changg tim"When I was at universy, people who did gay thgs, homosexual acts, ually went to prison and stayed there a long time, " Lord Browne said an terview wh the BBC earlier this rigned as chief executive of BP 2007 after emerged that statements he had ma legal documents about a four-year relatnship he'd had wh a man had been "untthful" Lord Browne, many chief executiv would have grown up tim that were much ls tolerant of gay people.

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

"Societal views have changed nsirably, but that has only really been the past 10 years, " says Si Sandhu, founr of profsnal work ptn, Former BP chief executive Lord Browne says Mr Cook is "an important role mol"Gay people now their 50s and 60s uld have been keepg their sexualy a secret om lleagu for years, perhaps s.

"Some of our bt lears are known for their honty and thenticy, to kd of then turn around and go, 'Actually, there's a big thg that I haven't que mentned', is que difficult, " says Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall, the lbian, gay and bisexual equaly anisatn.

"Once you e out, you are expected to sudnly be an expert on all thgs gay, but of urse you are an expert on your job - not all thgs gay, " says Ms source, Getty ImagCommercial ncernsChief executiv uld have another ncern. The Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn lists 78 untri wh crimal laws agast sexual activy by the groups of those untri are Ai, Asia and the Middle regns are growg fast and are where amb pani would be eager to Sandhu of Outstandg thks havg a gay chief executive "uld impact sal" those untri. But that remas to be seen, as there is no data to support the Tim Cook's announcement, we might fd out over the next few years whether ctomers might nsir the sexualy of a chief executive when choosg a mobile prospectsSo what about gay people tryg to work their way through the ranks the current era?

WHY IS APPLE'S TIM COOK THE ONLY OPENLY GAY CEO OF A MAJOR US FIRM?

Over three-quarters of Ameri's 500 biggt pani have non-discrimatn polici that bar firg someone bee they are gay or lbian, says Jt Nelson, -founr and print of the US Natnal Gay and Lbian Chamber of he says those polici n only go so far.

TIM COOK: 'I NSIR BEG GAY AMONG THE GREATT GIFTS GOD HAS GIVEN ME'

"There are still tim that, even when you have a policy, the guy the cubicle next to you might have a personal belief that is not fully clive, " he source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Christopher Bailey is the only openly gay chief executive of a FTSE 100 firmSome dtri are workg harr than others to overe such UK fashn dtry n boast the only openly gay chief executive among FTSE 100 pani, after Christopher Bailey beme chief executive of Burberry earlier this Sandhu says diversy is " the DNA" of the fashn dtry is not necsarily leadg the way enuragg gay staff.

TIM COOK SAYS BEG GAY IS 'GOD'S GREATT GIFT TO ME'

The buildg tra is also makg a big effort, she says, wh nstctn giant Balfour Beatty workg closely wh Stonewall to help gay staff. "It's que shockg to learn that even now graduat who are openly gay at universy are gog back to the closet bee the bs world is a ltle behd, " says Mr on this story.

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

Tim Cook once said all the prejudicial ments he received as a gay man had given him a thick sk and “that turns out to be pretty beneficial om this role as well.

It’s a soberg thought that Apple sells products untri where Tim Cook would face imprisonment, public floggg or even executn jt for beg gay. By givg up some of his own privacy, he ma other gay people a ltle safer, by helpg to change public perceptns of what a gay man is and n be. Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, has publicly e out as gay and scribed his sexualy as “among the greatt gifts God has given me”, who had prevly not acknowledged nor nied his sexualy, be by far the most fluential gay bs executive as head of the world’s most valuable pany.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK IS 'PROUD TO BE GAY'

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, 53, said an opn article for Bloomberg Bsweek. He was also accintally outed by a CNBC TV anchor durg a discsn on the lack of gay bs people the be the only openly gay chief executive among the top 1, 000 pani the US, acrdg to the New York Tim.

Bra’s most high profile openly gay executive is Christopher Bailey, the boss of Burberry, who is married to actor Simon Woods. Other openly gay bs executiv clu the NBC chairman, Robert Greenblatt, the UK chief executive of HSBC Bank, Anton Simo, and hedge fund manager, Peter Browne, who rigned as BP chief executive 2007 after lyg urt an attempt to prevent publitn of stori about his sexualy and private life, said Cook’s g out would “accelerate change the rporate world”.

“I hope that Tim Cook has set an example which other lears will follow, ” Browne, who has bee an outspoke mpaigner for gay rights, wrote the Guardian. “If there are more openly gay CEOs and senr lears bs, will give other people the nfince to e out, and to be themselv at work. ”Cook said beg gay had been “tough and unfortable at tim” but also ma him “more empathetic, which has led to a richer life” and given him “the nfince to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversy and bigotry”.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK: ‘I’M PROUD TO BE GAY’

”Cook said the world had changed nsirably for gay people sce he was a child, but more need to be done to create a fair and more equal society. There are many plac where landlords n evict tenants for beg gay, or where we n be barred om visg sick partners and sharg their legaci.

” Cook said he do not nsir himself a gay rights activist, but he realised how much he has benefed om the sacrific of equal rights activists the past.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK: "I’M PROUD TO BE GAY"

“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. Four years after Tim Cook beme the first Fortune 500 chief executive to publicly acknowledge that he was gay, he says that his sexual orientatn is “God’s greatt gift to me. “I was public bee I began to receive stori om kids who read somethg onle that I was gay, and they were gog through beg bullied, feelg like their fay didn’t love them, beg phed out of their home, very close to suici, I mean, thgs that jt really pulled my heart, ” Cook said.

“I need to do somethg for them and show them that you n be gay and still go on to do some big jobs life, that there’s a path there. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has spoken publicly about his sexualy a Bloomberg Bsweek op-ed, wrg, “I’m proud to be gay, and I nsir beg gay among the greatt gifts God has given me.

” It’s the most forceful claratn of self we’ve seen by a gay person recent memory — one that prents beg gay as somethg legimately different om beg straight, and no worse for that.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK AGA SAYS BEG GAY ‘IS A GIFT FROM GOD.’ WHY IT MIGHT MEAN MORE THIS TIME AROUND

The hard l around “g out” — tradnally the procs by which someone tells the world for the first time that one is gay — have been erod by the openns of the prs, and the relaxg of stigmas around homosexualy have ma far ls taboo to wre about a person’s sexualy before their explic say-so. This is the first time Cook has spoken so openly about beg gay; that has hardly stopped the prs om, whout evint malice or homophobia, cludg him on an Out power list of gay celebri or, at the time of his appotment as Steve Jobs’ replacement, llg him “the most powerful gay man Ameri.

” Though the mastream prs has been more reticent, wh a New York Tim article this May askg where the openly gay CEOs were, some segments of the prs vered Cook’s sexualy as they would his race or genr, as an unremarkable fact about him. “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, ” wr Cook.

BS, MEDIA AND ACTIVIST BIGWIGS RPOND TO TIM COOK’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE’S GAY

” But ’s a sign of how much society has changed even sce 2012 that Cook is fally able to prent the somewhat revolutnary ia that beg gay is not jt the same as beg straight — that is not a simple aspect of one’s makp. "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.

" 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.

“I’m proud to be gay, and I nsir beg gay among the greatt gifts God has given me, ” Tim Cook, who took the res of the world’s most valuable pany om the late -founr Steve Jobs, wr Bloomberg Bsweek. Tim Cook was already one of the most high-profile bs lears the world, and now he is s most proment openly gay ’s chief executive addrsed his sexual orientatn publicly for the first time Thursday, g out a first-person say tled “Tim Cook Speaks Up. ”“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 the say, which was published Bloomberg rporate lears have e out of the closet, even though dog so has bee more mon among celebri, profsnal athlet and policians.

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

Gay rights supporters note that 29 stat do not have laws that explicly prohib workplace discrimatn based on sexual orientatn, and they hope Cook’s g out will brg attentn to the issue. The 53-year-old had been wily mored to be gay for years, but the tech world largely paid ltle attentn to such changed Thursday, wh several tech lears quickly turng to social media to appld Cook’s cisn to e out. Durg a roundtable discsn, -anchor Simon Hobbs said: “I thk Tim Cook is fairly open about the fact he’s gay at the head of Apple, isn’t he?

#applepri”In July, he followed that up by tweetg a lk to a vio showg employe celebratg gay pri by donng whe T-shirts wh the Apple in outled by a jt this week, Cook slammed Alabama’s long-standg issu wh racial equaly and discrimatn agast gays a speech he ma durg a ceremony ductg him to the Alabama Amy of Honor. “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, ” he said, “then ’s worth the tra-off wh my own privacy.

TIM COOK AND THE END OF GAY RIGHTS AS A WEDGE ISSUE

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 that, over the years, he told many people about his sexual orientatn.