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

Apple CEO Tim Cook has publicly acknowledged his sexuality for the first time, saying he hopes his openness will help other who are struggling with their own sexuality.

The 53-year-old, who was appointed to Apple’s top job in 2011 following the death Steve Jobs, said he had been open about his sexuality “for years” in a personal essay for Bloomberg Businessweek.

“While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now,” he wrote. “So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.

“I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.”

Cook’s announcement officially makes him one of the most prominent openly gay men in business and technology. Despite only just coming out publicly as a gay man, he wrote an open letter to the US Congress in November 2013, calling on it to outlaw job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Apple CEO Tim Cook: ‘I’m proud to be gay’

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