While everyone already knew, the act of public announcement is one of great meaning and catharsis. Coming out is an important event for a gay person, and for a prominent person such as Tim Cook, for our society as well. As an ally, congratulations for having the courage to be who you are.
As a man who is straighter than most measuring rulers, you'll forgive me if I missed that issue. :-) Myself, I had heard murmuring, but I never cared enough to confirm. Just kind of "meh, ya gotta figure there's at least one Fortune 500 CEO who's gay. Now to the issue at hand: how's my AAPL stock doing?"
Now, I'm not saying that isn't an important announcement. I have to admit that even Mr. Straighter-than-Straight over here found his eyes kind of welling up while reading Tim's words. Powerful stuff, and a great example for those coming of age while dealing with who they are. But as a person whose portfolio is weighted way too heavily in AAPL, and an owner of lots of stuff with apples on them, I no more care about who Tim Cook shares his bed with than I do about what sports team he favors. That's his own business, and doesn't affect me in the slightest.
In summary, not everyone knew it if only because some of us don't care enough one way or the other to find out.
Because it isn't a big deal! I'm glad we're coming around to the reaction to a major public figure coming out is "meh."
Injustice won't be over the day little black boys and girls and little white boys play together. It will be over the day anyone even thinks anything of it. Unfortunately, we have both overt and covert (even accidental) discrimination still to deal with.
But our grandparents faced firehouses and dogs, while we face op-eds and Twitter feeds. For the first time in history we have the communications technology to bind humanity together into a single global people.
Someday there will be a gay president. Someday there will be a black female president. I hope that by the time that day comes, it will be little noted nor long remembered.
But I think his message is aimed at younger people. "I'm a mellow kinda guy who is respected in the world of business. And i'm gay." You don't have to fit the stereotype of being flamboyant , out, loud and proud to be gay.
You and I know that. Any functioning adult in a largish city knows that. Maybe some kids in isolated communities without personal role models (family, family friends, teachers, etc., who are gay and run-of-the-mill kinda people) don't know that.
> You subscription to Out magazine must have lapsed.
Heh, I thought this was a joke at first. It's kind of funny that lots of people didn't know, yet he has literally been featured as #1 in Out Magazine. I guess it does still fit, that he hasn't personally, publicly acknowledged it, even if others have acknowledged it publicly.
OK, thanks for posting this, because I thought I was going crazy for a second. My thought was, "Yeah what? Of course he is gay. Everyone knows that? He might be the first gay CEO of a trillion-dollar valuated company!"
At least I know I'm not crazy now and that it was in magazines and such at least a year ago.
Me three. Mostly because I just don't give a fuck about people's personal lives. Even celebrities. I see people in commercials that everybody seems to know and I have no clue.
I guess I live under a rock. Good thing I get HN under here.
