Matter of fact

I read the Facebook posts before I read the actual news: “Anderson Cooper is gay!,” screamed the clueless netizens.  “I don’t believe it!” reacted another.  “He doesn’t look like a gay!” (Which last one set my teeth on edge, both because of the stereotyping so stereotypical of heterosexuals, as well as the use of the article “a”.)

But for a moment, I was bewildered.  What was the fuss all about?  I thought Cooper’s sexual preference was common knowledge, so common that I myself had made several allusions to it in previous columns in this paper.  Why this sudden outpouring of shock (as well as a tremendous avalanche of support from other more enlightened kibitzers)?  Was this not old news, if it was even news at all?

Oh dear. As it turned out, it was Cooper’s first coming out.  In an email to Andrew Sullivan, Anderson had proclaimed that the fact of the matter was, he was gay, (always have been, always will be) thereby confirming to the world where his sexual preferences lay.   This was apparently the first open acknowledgment he had made to the world.  Before, he had simply kept his mouth shut.

 And here I was, blabbing my mouth off (or letting my pen do it for me) and assuming the fact, without actually researching, that he was gay.  And why not?  Anderson Cooper was even named by Out Magazine as among the Power 50, the most influential gays and lesbians in America, a list that included Ellen de Generes (of course), Jane Lynch (of Glee Fame), Perez Hilton the blogger, and Neil Patrick Harris.  So why wouldn’t I think Anderson was out?  I didn’t know it was a secret to begin with.

But so there.  He has outed himself.  The world and his mother now know he is gay.  And so now what?  Apparently, the news has ended where it should logically end, which is nowhere.  There isn’t any press coverage of rallies and fiery speeches denouncing him as ‘disgusting’ or his sexuality as ‘deplorable.’   No pray-overs or calls for boycotts of his show.  Which is good, right?  Not a big deal. And it shouldn’t be.

Where this coming out is important, however, is to the gay community.  Anderson Cooper’s star power, his extraordinary visibility, and his accomplishments in the field of news and broadcasting all help put a spotlight on one point that every gay person has strove to put forth to the straight community: that sexual preference doesn’t and shouldn’t matter.  That a person should be judged on what he can do, his talents, his brains, his character, and maybe even his potential – but certainly not his sexuality. 

With Cooper now drawing attention to himself, and helping raise the awareness of straight people, much has been done to combat prejudice and to dispel myths.  That’s going to go a long way in uncomplicating the lives of gay people. 

And not only that – what’s really valuable about what he just did is that, he’s there serving as a role model to all those gay teens who are struggling with identity issues, self hate and non-acceptance. With a visibly successful symbol out there, there’s a ‘peg’ (as fashionistas so love to call it) for them to follow.  I would hazard the guess (and no one can ever disprove me) that some suicidal teens have been saved just by Cooper’s simple statement of fact.

Cooper’s decision underscores the need for more gay people to come out.  The more visible gay people are, the more they serve as both inspiration and a lifeline to those who lead their lives in secrecy and frantic desperation.  Fashion designers and make-up artists celebrate the artistic side of gayhood.  They tell kids with creative potential, there is life waiting here for you.  But they don’t necessarily appeal to other kids whose potentials lie in other fields and endeavors, like business, the law, and the sciences.

So yeah, it would be nice to have openly gay politicians, business executives and generals.  A gay Justice of the Supreme Court, like South Africa does.  (Hint, hint.) Or a lesbian President of a multinational company.  Or a gay Ambassador of the United States. (Come on out!)  Then there would be an array of options, of life choices, that gay teens can select from. 

Although news anchoring is probably on the top of the list right now.