Apple chief executive Tim Cook has publically acknowledged his sexuality, saying that he is "proud to be gay" and that being gay is "one of the greatest gifts God has given me." Mr Cook, who took over the top job at Apple shortly before the untimely death of Steve Jobs, also challenged his home state of Alabama to ensure the rights of gay and transgender people.

THANK YOU, MR COOK!! "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. It’s made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It’s 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. I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize 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." #timcook #gay #cause #appleinc #ceo #rainbow

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"I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others," he wrote in an opinion article for Bloomberg.

"So if hearing that the CEO [chief executive] 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," he added.

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Cook said he had been open about his sexuality with colleagues at Apple but that coming out publically "wasn't an easy choice."

"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now," Cook said, "So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me."

Earlier this year, the tech blog Valleywag ripped into the New York Times from erasing Cook when it wrote "there is not a single openly gay chief executive at the nation's 1,000 biggest companies." 

Cook was asked to join Apple by Jobs in 1998, immediately taking up the role of senior vice-president for Worldwide Operations. He has previously spent 12 years at IMB followed by a brief stint at Compaq.

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