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CNN reporter Anderson Cooper reveals he's gay

By April MacIntyre Jul 2, 2012, 16:02 GMT

Anderson Cooper - Gay, resume your life © Andrew Evans / PR Photos

In the not so much news department, TV reporter Anderson Cooper gave gay blogger Andrew Sullivan the big scoop on his sexuality preferences.

"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," Cooper, 45, wrote.

"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."

In his note, the CBS "60 Minutes" contributor talked a lot about journalists' roles.

"As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn't matter," Cooper explained. "I've stuck to those principles for my entire professional career, even when I've been directly asked 'the gay question,' which happens occasionally."

"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," Cooper wrote. "This is distressing because it is simply not true."