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

Contents:

• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT AS GAY: I'M PROUD
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• WHY IS APPLE'S TIM COOK THE ONLY OPENLY GAY CEO OF A MAJOR US FIRM?
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK SAID HE CID TO E OUT AS GAY AFTER READG LETTERS OM KIDS STGGLG WH THEIR INTY
• APPLE'S CEO IS NOW OPENLY GAY. IS THAT PROGRS?
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK COM OUT AS GAY
• CEOS WHO ARE OPENLY GAY

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

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. 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.

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

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?

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

Apple CEO Tim Cook me out Thursday, acknowledgg publicly for the first time that he is gay.

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

"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.

"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.

Out magaze had prevly named him as the most powerful gay person on s Power 50 list.

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

But there are no other publicly gay CEO's at the 700 largt rporatns. John Browne served as CEO of BP (BP) om 1995 to 2007, and acknowledged he was gay after he was forced to leave office.

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.

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.

"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.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK COM OUT AS GAY

"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.

CEOS WHO ARE OPENLY GAY

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?