Longtime CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has finally said it: “Fact is, I’m gay.” In an e-mail to Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Beast/Newsweek, Cooper declared, “I've always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn't matter.”
Well, in that case, Cooper fails, despite his claim “I’m not an activist.” His work on gay issues hasn’t had fairness -- matching an aggressive pro-homosexual bias at CNN – perhaps in part to keep angry gay activists at bay.
We can list a few examples, below, but first, here’s the meaty part of Cooper’s note to Sullivan:
Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.
I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.
The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.
I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist.
Since my early days as a reporter, I have worked hard to accurately and fairly portray gay and lesbian people in the media - and to fairly and accurately portray those who for whatever reason disapprove of them. It is not part of my job to push an agenda, but rather to be relentlessly honest in everything I see, say and do. I’ve never wanted to be any kind of reporter other than a good one, and I do not desire to promote any cause other than the truth.
Cooper self-deports himself from Truth-land when he says he has no cause, but just paragraphs before, he says he had to come out of the closet to advance "greater inclusion and equality for all people," to advance "the tide of history." CNN and many other liberal journalists have granted a large berth to gay activists with "the tide of history" in their minds.
The fan site All Things Anderson counts Cooper as an "undying champion" of the LGBT crowd: "Today when we read Anderson Cooper's public acknowledgment that he is gay we were elated. Elated not only for him and for the LGBT community, for whom Cooper has been an undying champion, but also for his fans."
Here's just a few quick examples:
-- This goes back a long time: On June 30, 1997, then-ABC reporter Anderson Cooper provided a long, sympathetic portrait of two elderly gay males marching in New York City's annual Gay Pride parade. Carole Simpson introduced the story: "The question of legalizing gay marriages has become a political issue this year, but for many gay couples a longtime committed relationship is as sacred as a marriage." No one opposed to gay marriage was invited to appear.
-- On November 28, 2007, Cooper began moderating a Republican debate by telling the viewers at home "all the questions tonight come from you." Standing up in the audience after being flown in by the debate organizers, retired general Keith Kerr threw a hardball question at the Republican contenders about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays in the military. He listed his military credentials and proclaimed he was gay, and then said "I want to know why you think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians?" After several candidate answers, Gen. Kerr interrupted and began lecturing the Republicans on how insensitive they are to gays in the military. Bloggers quickly discovered Kerr was a Hillary Clinton supporter, and not just a supporter, but a man whose name was listed as part of the Clinton campaign's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Steering Committee. CNN claimed they had no idea.
-- On April 14, 2009, Cooper crudely joked with David Gergen that the Tea Party were "tea-baggers," crude sexual slang for testicles on someone's face. "It's hard to talk when you're tea-bagging," Cooper said.
-- On March 11, 2010, Cooper heralded the "extraordinary transformation" of transgender activist Chastity “Chaz” Bono – meaning her breast-removal surgery. Cooper oozed, "In a rare interview, he [Chastity] talks about life as a man and the journey he's still undergoing." He used the politically correct terms in softball questions: “And you talked about top surgery. What was that process like?” He asked Bono if she was happy and how she felt about shaving.
-- On October 6, 2010, Cooper tossed softball questions at gay University of Michigan student body president Chris Armstrong, and labeled him "remarkably strong" in light of attacks he received online from Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell, after crusading against Shirvell in five out of his last seven programs. Somehow, the student government in Ann Arbor was top national news to Cooper, if to no one else.
After playing clips from his interviews with Shirvell and his boss, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, Cooper continued with his pre-recorded interview with Armstrong. He began with a sympathetic question: "How are you holding up?” Cooper also stated that Armstrong "hardly seems...[to have] a radical agenda," despite his support for gender-neutral housing. He underlined, “That's really what's motivating you to speak out now, the suicides we have all been witnessing and reporting on?”
