Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Comes Out In Essay For Business Week

Apple CEO Tim Cook has publicly come out in an essay he penned for Business Week:

"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.

"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.

"It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life.

"It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and 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. 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."

In coming out, Tim Cook becomes the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company.