Apple CEO Tim Cook has penned a blog publicly acknowledging his sexuality in a bid to help others “come to terms with who he or she is”.
Writing for Bloomberg Businessweek, Cook said that while he was open with those close to him about being gay and it was known within the workplace, he had never publicly spoken about it but hoped that in doing so he could help people struggling to come to terms with their sexuality.
“I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realise how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others,” he wrote.
“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.”
Cook described being gay as among “the greatest gifts God has given me”, and said living his life within a minority had enabled him to be more empathetic towards the plight of people in other minority groups in society.
He added: “We’ve [Apple] taken a strong stand in support of a workplace equality bill before Congress, just as we stood for marriage equality in our home state of California.
“And we spoke up in Arizona when that state’s legislature passed a discriminatory bill targeting the gay community. We’ll continue to fight for our values, and I believe that any CEO of this incredible company, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, would do the same.”
Cook became Apple CEO in 2011 following the resignation of Steve Jobs.
