Anderson Cooper’s long-debated sexuality was confirmed in an email he sent to Andrew Sullivan today. While most people had an inkling he was gay (beach-side photos of he and his boyfriend were kind of a clue), Cooper’s announcement is being seen as a landmark cultural event. Read his announcement by clicking here!

Sullivan contacted Cooper after Entertainment Weekly ran a story entitled “The New Art of Coming Out: How Gay Stars Are Now Carefully—and Surprisingly—Going Public About Their Private Lives.” Cooper, who had been notoriously mum about his sexuality in the past, responded with a serious, lengthy and applause-worthy email:

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,” he wrote. “As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn’t matter…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…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.”

While Cooper’s news may not necessarily be surprising, it’s still laudable that he came out, despite the risk of alienating viewers. And, in other news, this announcement still fails to dampen the huge crush I have on him. You can (and should) read his entire email over at The Daily Beast and see more fan art over on Buzzfeed!

What do you think of this news? Does it surprise you?

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