Tim Cook is Proud to be Gay →
I’ll admit that this wasn’t an easy choice. Privacy remains important to me, and I’d like to hold on to a small amount of it. I’ve made Apple my life’s work, and I will continue to spend virtually all of my waking time focused on being the best CEO I can be. That’s what our employees deserve—and our customers, developers, shareholders, and supplier partners deserve it, too. Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not defined only by one’s sexuality, race, or gender. I’m an engineer, an uncle, a nature lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic, and many other things. I hope that people will respect my desire to focus on the things I’m best suited for and the work that brings me joy.
Beware of anyone who responds to this, not new news, but still important news with phrases like who cares? and stick to selling phones! and why is this important? That’s the shorthand that people use when they see the arc of history bending away from them, and they are terrified at the prospect of being left behind. If you can’t see/understand why having an openly gay CEO of one of the largest companies in the history of the world is an important revelation, then you’re just willfully ignorant.