The Washington Blade reports that “LGBT advocates are urging the new head of Apple, Inc., to make his sexual orientation public amid media reports asserting that he’s gay.” But the only evidence of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s sexual orientation is a “report from [gossip website] Gawker in January citing anonymous sources asserting the new CEO identifies as gay.”
If Cook is gay, I hope he chooses to comes out. But this “campaign” seems extremely presumptuous. Not everyone without public (or private) relationships is gay. One of the movement’s original aims was to allow people to be who they are, and not just to add the “LGBorT” categories as approved identity options along with “straight” that everyone must be pressured to select among and pigeonhole themselves into.
9 Comments for “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been…”
posted by daftpunkydavid on
thank you so very much for this. i agree 100%.
posted by tristram on
I believe there’s more evidence than the Gawker bit, but beyond that quibble (and to my utter astonishment), I’m in complete agreement with SHM on this one.
posted by Wilberforce on
I agree. Self-important activists are always pressuring others to come out, without knowing or caring that it might hurt them. Only the individual knows if his environment is safe enough to come out in. It should be a personal decision. Period.
Meanwhile, the claim that coming out is advancing gay rights is mostly bogus. These days, everyone pretty much knows who is and who isn’t. I’d rather have our creepy folk stay in the closet than make us all look bad. And our people with character don’t need to come out. Everyone knows who they are, and they make us look good whether they’re in the closet our out.
We also can claim some of the greatest people, and have made some of the greatest contributions, in history. That’s all the PR we need to claim our rights.
Leave people’s right to privacy alone. Please.
posted by Doug on
“Only the individual knows if his environment is safe enough to come out in.”
Personally, I cannot fathom how anyone who just got over $300 million in a pay package could be hurt in any practical terms by coming out as gay.
posted by Wilberforce on
Maybe he wouldn’t get hired for another job, or a high profile job that he really wants.
But you’re right. You cannot fathom it. Neither can I, because I’m not him and don’t understand all the details of his environment. He’s the best judge of that, so I just make it a point to mind my own business.
posted by Houndentenor on
Maybe some people just don’t want the whole world to know their personal business. We live in such an exhibitionist culture that sometimes we need to be reminded that not everyone wants to whore themselves out on a tacky talk show or reality series. He’s a business person, not a media whore.
posted by kipp on
Acknowledging your sexual orientation is not whoring yourself on a tacky talk show. A man worth tens of million of dollars (at minimum) takes little risk in acknowledging his sexual orientation publicly. If Tim Cook is gay then I would hope he has already (merely) said “yes” when asked that question by a reporter. For all I know, he already has. My only problem would be if he has actually refused to say. It’s his right to refuse but it’s mine to fault him for it.
posted by Houndentenor on
My understanding on this is that he’s basically out. He’s not taking any measures to be in the closet. He just hasn’t had a press conference to announce his private life, and there’s no reason that he should be expected to.
It is interesting when conservatives invoke the “right to privacy” when most of the time they are arguing that no such thing exist. I believe that it does an so long as someone is not publicly advocating denying rights to gay people I don’t think what he does on his own time and on his own dime is any of my business. I would be happy if he came out, but that’s his decision to make.
posted by tommy jefferson on
1. Unlike a great many folk — in the economy — this person has got a great job — doing what he loves — and so I have had hard time getting too invested in an opinion about should he or should he not come out or whatever.
2. If he does not say or do anything ‘anti-gay’ and the company keeps what are — from what I hear — pretty progressive polices — then it eventually a ‘mainstream’ reporter will ask the question or he will give an interview, say to plug a new toy, and will be either come out or not.
3. Yes, I can think of times when ‘outing’ people might be a noble thing, but most of the time it is not and generally needs to be doing that happens on someone’s own schedule.