Tim Cook: I'm proud to be gay - The Verge

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
• WHY IS APPLE'S TIM COOK THE ONLY OPENLY GAY CEO OF A MAJOR US FIRM?
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK OUT: 'I'M PROUD TO BE GAY'
• OPENLY GAY THE BOARDROOM: WHY SO FEW LGBTQ EXECUTIV LEAD AMERI'S LARGT PANI
• TIM COOK ISN'T THE ONLY OPENLY GAY CEO
• APPLE CEO TIM COOK SAID HE CID TO E OUT AS GAY AFTER READG LETTERS OM KIDS STGGLG WH THEIR INTY
• TIM COOK: I'M PROUD TO BE GAYTIM COOK: I'M PROUD TO BE GAY
• APPLE'S CEO IS NOW OPENLY GAY. IS THAT PROGRS?
• TIM COOK: SER GAY EL REGALO MáS GRAN QUE DS ME HA DADO
• COOK: BEG GAY ‘IS GOD’S GREATT GIFT TO ME’

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

Tim Cook: Beg gay gave me perspective as a mory. In 2014, Tim Cook beme the first CEO of a major pany to e out as gay.

WATCH TIM COOK EXPLA WHY HE CAME OUT AS GAY

Beg gay is “God’s greatt gift to me, ” he said.

“I was public bee I started to receive stori om kids who read onle that I was gay, ” he told Amanpour. He wanted to monstrate to gay children that they “n be gay and still go on and do some big jobs life. Apple CEO Tim Cook says he felt a “tremendo rponsibily” to publicly e out as gay.

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

Though many of the people he works wh already knew he was gay, Cook says, his cisn to speak up was spired by a Dr. 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.

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

"'"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. 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.

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

"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?

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.

OPENLY GAY THE BOARDROOM: WHY SO FEW LGBTQ EXECUTIV LEAD AMERI'S LARGT PANI

"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.

TIM COOK ISN'T THE ONLY OPENLY GAY CEO

"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.

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

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.

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

TIM COOK: I'M PROUD TO BE GAYTIM COOK: I'M PROUD TO BE GAY

"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 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.

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

"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.

TIM COOK: SER GAY EL REGALO MáS GRAN QUE DS ME HA DADO

"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.

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.

Today, Camuñez, one of two Hispanic board members, is also intified as part of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer muny. It's a landmark moment for both the gay muny and the bs world. Tim Cook is now the first and only openly gay chief executive the Fortune 500.

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

Of urse, many lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenred employe still stggle wh discrimatn at work. The executive sue also remas extremely closeted, but there are a few high-rankg openly gay bspeople.