My white husband, Anderson Cooper, recently came out in an open letter to Andrew Sullivan moments ago on The Daily Beast. It excites me that he has finally realized that this is a pivotal time in our history to be “visible” and open with society about this subject that has plagued his private life for decades.

I’m sure that we have ALL suspected Anderson to be gay, but I didn’t find issue in it because his reasoning made a lot of sense:

“I’ve always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn’t matter. I’ve stuck to those principles for my entire professional career, even when I’ve been directly asked ‘the gay question,’ which happens occasionally.”

 

I respect Anderson and people like him (Raven Symone, Oprah, and Beyonce & Jay-Z) for keeping as much of their personal lives out of the public eye for their benefit. I feel as though that’s where most of people in current media go wrong: exploiting their lives for the sake of entertainment. Anderson was never ashamed of being gay, and stated it rather matter-of-factly:

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.

Read The Full Letter

 

I’m very proud of my white husband, especially during a time in history when the gay community can use more visible, high-profiled representatives as support to the cause.