Apple chief: Being gay is one of God’s great gifts

Apple CEO Tim Cook says he’s proud to be gay.

The public declaration, in an essay written for Bloomberg Businessweek, makes Cook the highest-profile business CEO to come out as gay.

Cook said that while he never denied his sexuality, he never publicly acknowledged it, either. The executive said that for years he’s been open with many people about his sexual orientation and that plenty of his Apple colleagues know he is gay.

Cook wrote in the column that it wasn’t an easy choice to publicly disclose that he is gay, but that he felt the acknowledgement could help others.

“I’ve come to realise that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important,” he wrote.

Four days ago, Cook challenged his home state of Alabama to better ensure the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Alabama is among the states that do not recognise same-sex marriage, and it also doesn’t offer legal protections on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Cook is a native of Robertsdale, Alabama, and attended Auburn University.

The announcement is a “huge deal,” said Richard Metheny of executive search firm Witt/Kieffer.

“This really sets the stage for ‘It’s OK,’” he said. “Anything CEOs do is very magnified, very complicated, and it affects a lot of people. ... There’s no taking away [the fact] he has become a role model and will have a positive influence on lots of people that would like to be comfortable being out in the world of business.”

“I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” Cook wrote in the essay.

The executive said “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.”

Apple has been an outspoken champion for diversity since Cook succeeded Jobs as CEO. The company has trumpeted the phrase, “Inclusion inspires innovation,” as a rallying cry. Cook has reinforced that message on his Twitter account with periodic posts supporting gay rights in the workplace.

Now, he is at least the third CEO of a publicly listed US company to come out of the closet.

C1 Financial Inc’s Trevor Burgess and IGI Laboratories Inc’s Jason Grenfell-Gardner have previously acknowledged that they are gay.

The fact the chief executive of the biggest US publicly traded company felt he could disclose his sexual preference in such a public way, and with the backing of his chairman, shows how times have changed in the past few years.

BP chief executive Lord Browne, who kept his sexual orientation secret for decades, was forced to come out after a boyfriend made it public in 2007 and he later resigned. Apple Chairman Art Levinson called Cook “courageous”.

“(His) decision to speak out will help advance the cause of equality and inclusion far beyond the business world,” Levinson was quoted by CNBC as saying.

“On behalf of the board and our entire company, we are incredibly proud to have Tim leading Apple.”