Apple CEO Tim Cook, perhaps the most prominent gay business executive, finally confirmed on Tuesday that he identifies himself as gay in a powerful essay for Bloomberg Businessweek published on Thursday.
Although Cook has never denied being gay, he had also not publicly been open in discussing his sexuality until Thursday's essay, the Associated Press reported.
"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now," Cook wrote in the essay. "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," Cook wrote. "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."
The 53-year-old credited his sexuality for helping him develop an acute social perspective in today's world, stating that he had been inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King to set aside his desire for privacy to do something "more important."
"Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It's made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It's been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry. It's also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you're the CEO of Apple," he said.
Thursday's essay comes just days after Cook advocated on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in his home state of Alabama, according to USA Today.
"[Alabama is] still too slow on equality for the LGBT community," he said, per the AP, while calling for laws protecting people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. "Under the law, citizens of Alabama can still be fired based on their sexual orientation. We can't change the past, but we can learn from it and we can create a different future."
In 2011, Gawker had reported about Cook's sexuality before he succeeded Steve Jobs. Since then, Cook has showed support and taken strong positions in favor of LGBT rights, BBC News reported.
Last year, he delivered a poignant speech at an event for his alma mater, Auburn University, about human rights, where he discussed the experience of facing firsthand discrimination while growing up, according to ValleyWag.
In addition, he wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal calling on Congress to outlaw job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Meanwhile, Cook had made the Out magazine's "Power List" of LGBT executives back when he had publicly not come out.
