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| Tim Cook |
This past Sunday , 60 Minutes devoted much of its episode to an interview with Tim Cook , the CEO of Apple and the most powerful gay man in the world.
While much of the discussion focused on Apple ’ s business practices — including its use of encryption, its hiring of workers in China, and accusations that it seeks tax shelters in foreign countries — Charlie Rose did bring up Cook ’ s relatively recent coming out .
Cook described why he sees being gay as a benefit :
“ When you ’ re in a minority group , it gives you a sense of empathy of what it ’ s like to be in the minority, and you begin to look at things from different point of views , and I think it was a gift for me.”
Since he came out , the Apple CEO has become an outspoken advocate for LGBT equality. When Indiana passed a bill earlier this year that would have allowed businesses to discriminate against gay people , Cook blasted Gov . Mike Pence in a Washington Post op - ed. Cook also unsuccessfully urged Alabama to enact LGBT protections , and made a
large donation to the Human Rights Campaign.
Rose also asked why Cook didn’ t come out sooner . The executive said he valued his privacy but eventually realized his impact as an out gay leader would be too great to pass up.
“ But it became increasingly clear to me that if I said something that it could help other people . And I’ m glad , because I think that some kid somewhere , some kid in Alabama , I think if they just for a moment stop and say, ‘ If it didn ’ t limit him , it may not limit me. ’ Or this kid that ’ s getting bullied . Or worse , I’ ve gotten notes from people contemplating suicide . And so if I could touch just one of those , it ’ s worth it . And I couldn ’ t look myself in the mirror without doing it . ”
Posted by tboixy
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