Anderson Cooper is GAY on CNN.com - Theology Online

OMEGA · **Anderson Cooper is GAY on CNN.com -** July 10th, 2012, 01:49 PM

Thu July 5, 2012

Anderson Cooper confirmed in an e-mail released Monday that he is gay, ending
speculation by fans and the media.

Editor's note: Stephanie Fairyington is the co-editor of The Slant, a forum for
the subjects of high profile stories to respond to media coverage of them and
their work.
(CNN) -- "Did you hear the news? Anderson Cooper came out," I heard one guy tell
another on the elevator at the magazine where I work. "Is it really 'coming out'
when everyone already knew you were gay?" the other guy joked. To media insiders
in New York City, Cooper's sexuality may have been no secret, but to the rest of
the world, his romantic inclinations were a mystery -- an ever-present and
provocative question mark.
As an out lesbian and journalist, I've always felt conflicted about the
uncertainty of Cooper's sexuality. On the one hand, I can delight in the mystery
of a person's unspoken and enigmatic preferences, wondering: Is he gay?
Straight? Bi? Maybe he's asexual. On the other, before he came out I couldn't
help but wonder if he'd felt the need to veil his homosexuality to make himself
palatable to the masses. It's irksome to think that he'd have to cater to the
ignorant until he could secure a large following. Hopefully his coming out will
blast the perception that you can't be openly gay and a widely respected public
figure.
When I put on my journalistic hat, I can definitely vouch for his point in an
e-mail to The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan about the advantages of remaining
unreadable to your interviewees. It's easier to forge a bond and to gain the
trust of your subjects if the conversation isn't crowded with your slant on
hot-button issues. If they see you as neutral -- or a blank page -- they can
assume (albeit, often falsely) that you share their core values and beliefs,
which elevates their level of comfort and opens them up.
Anderson Cooper: The fact is, I'm gay