Anderson Cooper: “The fact is, I’m gay”

Ending years of speculation, Anderson Cooper quietly confirmed to The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan that he was, in fact, gay.

Responding to Sullivan's query about the recent trend of prominent people coming out in an understated manner, Cooper wrote:

"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.

"I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist."

On his reasoning to reveal his sexual orientation at this time, Cooper wrote, "Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something – something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true."

His entire response can be found at The Daily Beast.

According to USA Today, Cooper recently made Out magazine's Power 50 list.

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