Apple's Tim Cook is 'proud to be gay,' hopes to help others

Apple CEO Tim Cook says he's proud to be gay, speaking up in an essay for Bloomberg Businessweek. Cook says he hopes hearing the CEO of Apple is gay could help others struggling to come to terms with their sexuality. 

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.

"For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation," Cook wrote. "Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is so lucky."

Cook wrote in the column published Thursday 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 realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important," he wrote.

Three 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 recognize 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.

"I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others," he said. "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."

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

The executive said that "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."

Cook said he's been lucky to work for a company that "loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people's differences."

Cook succeeded Apple founder Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple Inc. in 2011.