Apple CEO Tim Cook has, for the first time, publicly confirmed that he is gay.
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Writing in an op-ed for Bloomberg, Apple’s first post-Jobs CEO pointed out that he’d always been open about his sexuality with those who know him personally, but that he felt it was important to make a public statement:
For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is so lucky.
While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.
While Cook acknowledges that the US has made significant strides around gay rights since he was a kid, he does point out that “there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire people based solely on their sexual orientation” and that there “are many places where landlords can evict tenants for being gay, or where we can be barred from visiting sick partners and sharing in their legacies”.
He adds that while he doesn’t consider himself an activist, Apple will continue to fight for legislated equal employee rights, as it has done in California and Arizona.
