NEW YORK: American IT giant Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has revealed the hidden part of his life in an article.
“I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” Tim Cook wrote in a Bloomberg Businessweek essay, discussing his sexual orientation for the first time in public.
Now that Cook has come out, some people and groups who oppose LGBT rights have spoken out about Cook. But the reaction to his announcement has mostly stayed true to the recent environment, in which high-profile coming-out statements are followed by a relative lack of controversy – perhaps a sign that LGBT orientations are no longer a viable wedge issue in the mainstream.
Cook, 53, has never spoken publicly about his sexual orientation despite being in the spotlight at the top of a company known around the world.
“Throughout my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain a basic level of privacy. I come from humble roots, and I don’t seek to draw attention to myself,” he began. “At the same time, I believe deeply in the words of Dr Martin Luther King, who said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ”
“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.”
