Tim Cook is gay and proud of it.
The Apple CEO penned a missive for Bloomberg Businessweek, published today, in which, for the first time, he publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation.
Although Cook said he has never denied being gay in his day-to-day life, he has always aimed to keep is personal life private from society-at-large.
One of his favorite quotes — from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — however, convinced him he was not doing all he could as a public figure to ensure those who live a gay lifestyle are not discriminated against.
“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?’ ” I often challenge myself with that question, and I’ve come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important,” Cook wrote. “That’s what has led me to today… 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.”
Cook said he is “proud to be gay,” adding that it has given him “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.”
Cook said it has “been tough and uncomfortable at times,” but has given him confidence to be himself and the ability “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.”
“I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others,” he added. “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.”
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