Tim Cook: I'm proud to be gay

Apple chief comes out in a Businessweek blog, and hopes to inspire others who are fighting identity battles

The chief executive of one of the biggest brands in the world is hoping to inspire others after coming out in a very public blog.

Apple's Tim Cook said in a self-penned article on Bloomberg’s Businessweek Technology site that he has never publicly acknowledged his sexuality until now.

"For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation," he 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.

“I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” Cook added that it has given him 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," he said, “which has led to a richer life. It has 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.”

He added: “I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realise 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.”