Fact Is.. Anderson Cooper Thanks God He's Gay

Anderson Cooper is gay. The news has been met with knowing eye-rolls, giddy high-fives, and a general consensus in the Twittersphere that it doesn't matter: Cooper is a good journalist, a good guy, let's move on.

But let's not move on too fast. It was brave what Anderson Cooper did. Like it or not, he will now be somehow re-branded in America's mind as 'Gay Anderson Cooper.' As Jennifer Vanasco wrote: "He may lose viewers whose prejudice will not allow them to see Anderson Cooper, reporter, only Anderson Cooper, gay."

It seems pretty likely that Cooper will be able to transcend the bias and prejudice. His waiting this long to come out probably will help him. He has built up enough cred as Anderson Cooper, that he will probably do just fine as Gay Anderson Cooper. But let's not pretend like what he did wasn't hard, or that it wasn't brave, because coming out is always hard and brave.

But there is something else that is worth considering before we move on.

Mr. Cooper did something really important in his coming out email to Andrew Sullivan. After eloquently explaining his decision not to come out before now (wanting a private life) and what prompted him to come out now (not wanting his desire for a private life to seem like it was something he was ashamed of), Anderson Cooper used some very strong language towards the end of his email about his sexuality -- he used God talk.

In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God's greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life.

Cooper's email was sent to Andrew Sullivan, who is known to be a practicing Christian and a passionate and articulate writer about the intersection of religion and LGBT issues. Cooper specifically used religious language with Mr. Sullivan, knowing that Sullivan would not have merely bleeped over, or considered pro-forma, the talk of God and thanksgiving, he would have taken it to mean something -- which it did.

Anderson Cooper thanked God for his ability to love another person of the same gender, and thanks God every day for the love he has in his life. In his easy manner, Mr. Cooper is saying his sexuality is a divine gift, and that he is thankful to God that he was so wonderfully made.

That is some beautiful and powerful stuff.

And it also goes to the heart of the fight for full rights for the LGBT community.

Religion remains the central battleground for gay rights and most of the anti-gay rhetoric relies on the argument that being gay is 'un-natural' and goes against God's design. It is an insidious line of attack that makes people, especially young people, to distrust and despise their own experience of desire and love.

Anderson rejects that idea with his two easy sentences -- his ability to love the way he loves was given to him by God and he thanks God every day for it.

Take that.

Those of us who are within religious communities fighting for the full dignity and rights of LGBT people within our traditions should be celebrating this day. Not because Anderson Cooper has come out as gay, but because he has testified to all of us that our ability to love is an expression of the Divine that lives within all of us no matter who we are.

Thank God.

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See Inspiring LGBT Religious Leaders

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Comments

[royle224]

10:21 PM on 07/09/2012

If you don't believe that the Bible is God's word then there is no bases to ague with. The Bible makes it very plain that God is against men with men and women with women. But if a person wants to thank God for doing something that is against his teaching then you don't believe the Bible.

[Bob Kellerman]

03:11 AM on 07/12/2012

I KEEP SAYING TO YOU

ASK YOUR GRANDCHILDREN IF YOUR ATTITUDE IS AN EMBARASSMENT

Then let THEM have the world they believe in, and vote to support that

[suvariboy]

11:05 PM on 07/08/2012

Re: My state isn't going to allow a change in the definition of marriage.

I wouldn't be too sure about that.

[David Lambertson]

10:08 PM on 07/09/2012

I believe she lives in the State of Denial.

[suvariboy]

08:10 AM on 07/10/2012

LOL. Nice one!

[HappyFlaDemocrat]

10:18 PM on 07/08/2012

"In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God's greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life." -- Can't get more Christian than this, can you?

[AVoiceOfTruth]

07:37 PM on 07/14/2012

Taken out of context, you are correct. But, that's how people arrive at the conclusion that God's Word somehow supports homosexuality... take Scripture all out of context.

God's greatest gift is that He sent His only Son to live fully as human and die a terrible death, as an innocent sacrifical lamb, so that He could overcome death, defeating Satan once and for all, paving for all humanity a path to follow Christ so that we may be freed from the bondage of sin and receive eternal life.

[dpcemker]

09:55 PM on 07/08/2012

BRAVE? Jt would have been brave if he came out and say it while reporting the news of the young guy that commited suicide after been filmed having gay sex.... Andersonis a great journalist but coming out of a closet from where everyone knew u were hidding just to help your ratings is everything BUT BRAVE.

[Bob Kellerman]

02:53 AM on 07/09/2012

NO NO NO

Coming out while reporting the death of a Gay kid would be stealing the spotlight

Until recently, my own thought was that I would prefer Anderson to not make an announcement of his sexuality, as it might have spoiled his, my, and YOUR chance to have the first Gay person anchoring the network evening news

ALSO -- HIS MOTHER WAS ONE OF THE MOST (TRAGICALLY) FAMOUS KIDS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, WAS MARRIED TO STOWKOWSKI AND SYDNEY LUMET
--- her 4th husband, his father, died when he was 10, his brother when he was 20
In his position, "heaven" would be never being the subject of news.

[dpcemker]

06:15 PM on 07/10/2012

Wait a minute, who told you I am gay? Believe it or not there are many like me that with out having to be gay we support the right of other to do with their life as the please as long as no one is harm in the process.

[NAMI]

09:37 PM on 07/08/2012

PAUL
i think you went one step too far by bringing in the SEXUALITY .....

The ability to LOVE is a divine gift , not sexuality

[Jay Haney]

09:21 PM on 07/08/2012

Even with the pain that love can and often does eventually lead to, I couldn't agree with Cooper more. The ability to love is indeed a Divine gift, regardless of who it is. Any religion that would villify is to be distrusted. Any person who denigrates is to be despised.

[ATLreader]

09:20 PM on 07/08/2012

The only disappointing part of Anderson Cooper's coming out email was the reference to god. Always disappointing to find out that someone seemingly respectable decides to switch off the logic switch in his brain and let religion in.

[cerebrogasm]

09:32 PM on 07/08/2012

The email was to Andrew Sullivan - Anderson knows his audience.

[FollowTheTruth]

09:01 PM on 07/08/2012

In the beginning God created.......

We all know the rest.

[Bob Kellerman]

02:54 AM on 07/09/2012

Yes, and later God had a little slip, and allowed there to be preachy jerks like you

[FollowTheTruth]

09:00 AM on 07/09/2012

Do you insult everyone that does not have your same views?

[AVoiceOfTruth]

07:44 PM on 07/14/2012

More hate? Is that all you know?

[lewtag]

08:43 PM on 07/08/2012

If God created man in his own image and likeness....well take a look around at all the disguises he uses...personally the manmade God is far too small and petty for me...so I prefer to think there must be some superior force behind it all...that I call immaculate immanence...IMIM...any God who is small enough to understand is too small to worship...but it is what it is...ergo Theofatalism...and Cooper is an indispensable but insignificant part of the whole...as are all the creatures endowed with life by the generator, operator, and destroyer of everything...IMO

[Jay Haney]

09:21 PM on 07/08/2012

Thank you for illustrating why I found going neo-Pagan made those questions sooo much easier.

[Opus Fideo]

07:45 PM on 07/08/2012

lol

[GrantS]

04:52 PM on 07/08/2012

Gay and religious.

So he killed two birds with one stone and lost credibility with both the evangelicals AND the atheists.

I wonder if he likes paying taxes. Then the libertarians can shun him too.

[season555]

04:17 PM on 07/08/2012

We all knew he was, why did he have to make a big splash about it, he goes to war zones, and people watch CNN every where and what if someone ( even here in the US) tries to do God's work and hurt him?

Also what does that have to do with his reporting? Why do we need to know a journalist's personal life?

I admire Richard Engle, he is probably the bravest journalist in the US, he even went into Syria, but we don't know much about his private life. His private life is his private life, his reporting is our business,

[Mo in VA]

08:14 PM on 07/08/2012

All your comments are why he didn't say anything for years. But people would leave it alone.

[cerebrogasm]

09:39 PM on 07/08/2012

I think Anderson was motivated because he's not only a reporter - he's a public figure - and is respected by many - he mentioned his observation of the gay bullying that was leading to suicides - and this was one positive contribution he could make to help stem the despair youths were having over being gay in a world of people with anti-gay sentiments.

[season555]

10:01 PM on 07/08/2012

But so many gay people are killed for no reason, what if some macho guy wanted to make an example out of him.

[Margie Willamson]

04:14 PM on 07/08/2012

Well, you sure put a spin on Anderson's comment..I guess that's what you get paid to do. Thanks for your opinion!

[TheOuroborus]

02:00 PM on 07/08/2012

Really? Coop used God talk? And here I was just beginning to like him. Now, not so much. He lost all validity as a journalist to me just now.

[dave y]

03:14 PM on 07/08/2012

Be careful who you hate because it may be someone you love.

[daburnt]

08:17 PM on 07/08/2012

Rather unreasonable of you.

[ebranson]

02:49 PM on 07/08/2012

Are you joking with that high school bully tactic? Or are you actually in high school and not joking at all?

[Abnormal Wrench]

03:28 PM on 07/08/2012

What is wrong with having a crush on AC?