Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said he’s gay: Here’s the reactn | Fortune

Contents:

• THE RNER CLOSET: WHY THERE ARE SO FEW GAY AND TRANSGENR EXECUTIV RPORATE AMERI
• WHY IS APPLE'S TIM COOK THE ONLY OPENLY GAY CEO OF A MAJOR US FIRM?
• TIM COOK: APPLE'S NEW CEO AND THE MOST POWERFUL GAY MAN AMERI
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• 11 U.S. PRINTS WHO MIGHT’VE BEEN GAY
• APPLE'S CEO IS NOW OPENLY GAY. IS THAT PROGRS?
• APPLE CHIEF TIM COOK: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• APPLE AND STEVE JOBS HAVE LONG BEEN CHAMPNS FOR GAY RIGHTS
• APPLE'S GAY CEO DONATED TO ELECT REPUBLINS TO CONGRS
• BS, MEDIA AND ACTIVIST BIGWIGS RPOND TO TIM COOK’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT HE’S GAY

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

He says public disapproval of homosexualy ma many the gay muny wary of intifyg themselv at work, pecially durg the AIDS/HIV crisis. “Not seeg other gay people who were above me rank, I knew uld potentially hold back my reer.

Gente says the rner closet nudged open 2014 when Apple’s Tim Cook, lear of one of the world’s most inic brands, clared “I’m proud to be gay. “A lear of his stature and the thenticy of his msage were so movg to so many gay Amerins and alli.

”But progrs has remaed slow sce Cook beme the first publicly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 pany, particularly dtri outsi fashn, media and entertament.

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

Jt two others today publicly intify as gay asi om Gente and Cook: Dow’s Jim Fterlg and Land O’ Lak’ Beth Ford. They didn't keep rights movement transforms workplaceThe gay rights movement has led to substantial chang the workplace a relatively short perd of time, says Lee Badgett, an enomics profsor at the Universy of Massachetts more LGBTQ employe opened up about their inti and formed employee rource groups and as lawsus raised the prsure, rporatns extend benefs to same-sex upl and created anti-discrimatn polici the 1990s. 7% of people Generatn Z – those born om 1997 to 2004 – intified as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr pared wh jt 3.

TIM COOK: APPLE'S NEW CEO AND THE MOST POWERFUL GAY MAN AMERI

A history on how the flag me to beGay and transgenr employe bump up agast 'lavenr ceilg'But wh too few mentors, sponsors and alli, there’s still prsure to hi sexual orientatn or genr inty at work, she said. They live and work areas of the untry where beg their whole selv at work uld put them at risk, pecially as nservativ ph legislatn targetg the gay and transgenr there’s the risk of bumpg up agast the “lavenr ceilg, ” which keeps gay and transgenr employe om jobs for which they qualify and om dog their jobs at the level they are pable of, said Badgett, thor of “The Enomic Case for LGBT Equaly: Why Fair and Equal Treatment Benefs Us All. ”People who belong to multiple unrreprented groups, such as Black gay people or transgenr women, face even bigger hurdl.

“You put yourself at risk the event that beg an out lear creat an addnal Irv worked on Wall Street, she was often the only gay woman the room.

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

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.

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

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?

11 U.S. PRINTS WHO MIGHT’VE BEEN GAY

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. "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. Executiv who do e out n expect to be a role mol for younger gay staff, which n be an add prsure. "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? 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.

APPLE'S CEO IS NOW OPENLY GAY. IS THAT PROGRS?

"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. The buildg tra is also makg a big effort, she says, wh nstctn giant Balfour Beatty workg closely wh Stonewall to help gay staff.

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

Dpe the efforts of mpaigng groups, many young gay people still feel unr prsure to hi their sexualy.

APPLE AND STEVE JOBS HAVE LONG BEEN CHAMPNS FOR GAY RIGHTS

"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'S GAY CEO DONATED TO ELECT REPUBLINS TO CONGRS

Cook, who has not publicly discsed his sexualy, was named to the top of Out's list of powerful gays, y, but he's also received greater regnn the prs for the credible divinds Apple is reapg om s supply cha strategy, led by Cook, of g Apple's sh hoard to lock up ccial ponents for months or years, protectg products like the iPad om shortag, ensurg strong growth and margs for Apple and lockg out would be, Cook has graduated om a high profile tech executive servg as retaker of the world's biggt tech pany to the head of what, on some days, is now the biggt pany the world, perd.

He's also gone om beg the most powerful gay man Silin Valley to the most powerful gay man the world, bar, we revis our January profile of Cook. "Romantic terts: After Cook was profiled as a "lifelong bachelor" and "tensely private" elsewhere, we wonred if he might be gay.

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

One tech executive who has spoken to multiple Apple management veterans about Cook was told executiv there would support Cook if he publicly acknowledged his orientatn, and even would enurage him to do so as he steps up his learship role, but that they also had ncerns about whether his g out would impact the perceptn of the Apple would be, by far, the most powerful openly gay executive tech, trailed by Microsoft's openly lbian HR chief Lisa Bmmel and by Megan Smh, the former PlaOut CEO now workg as Google's vice print of new bs velopment.

Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly nfirmed he is gay an opn piece published Thursday, makg him the hight-profile chief executive to e an say published by Bloomberg Bsweek advotg for human rights and equaly, Cook says he was spired by Dr. "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 be the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 pany, acrdg to gays rights group Human Rights Campaign, who appld the Apple chief's say. "Cook says he's been open wh others about beg gay, but felt pelled to publicly e out to help others.