In wake of Steve Jobs’ resignation, Tim Cook has been announced to take over Apple as the latest successor to the lead the Mac geniuses – and as a part of his appointment, endless rumors over Cooks’ sexual orientation have taken center stage.
The questioning is a reflection of longtime rumors surrounding Cook’s sexual orientation, prompted years ago throughout the Silicon Valley.
But whether or not Cook is gay remains up in the air. While Cook has not confirmed nor denied his homosexuality, handfuls of media outlets have taken to the papers to celebrate the victory of Cook’s appointment as a win for the gays. But regardless of what media outlets have reported, the issue of labeling Cook “gay” is up to speculation. Nevertheless, the accusations bring to light the appropriateness of labeling Cook as gay, thereby “outing” him to the public – and whether or not Cook should address the issue, or simply remain ambiguous.
Lesbian Hilary Rosen, a significant figure in today’s LGBT community and the former head of the Recording Industry Association of America, tweeted the following message after Cook’s appointment was announced:
I’m realizing that an openly gay man is now atop Apple, 1 of the world’s most impt companies. Congrats Tim Cook!
Whether Cook is gay or not is, of course, ultimately up to Cook – to pursue, to announce, or to simply enjoy privately. Yet despite the vagueness associated with the issue, Out Magazine appointed Cook as a lead in Power 50 this year – an elite group of the most influential members within the LGBT community.
Felix Salmon, a reporting blogger on behalf of Reuters, wrote comments on the matter, explaining that not writing about the issue is a disservice to the gay rights movement.
“There’s no ethical dilemma when it comes to reporting on Cook’s sexuality: rather, the ethical dilemma comes in not reporting it, thereby perpetuating the idea that there’s some kind of stigma associated with being gay,” Salmon writes. “Yes, the stigma does still exist in much of society. But it’s not the job of the press to perpetuate it. Quite the opposite.”
It is pretty disheartening to read articles like this, especially coming from leaders in the gay community. I’ve no problem with the press celebrating the success and contributions of the community to help remove the stigma of being gay. We should promote and support our brothers and sisters who make a difference in the world. The problem is that Tim has chosen to neither confirm nor deny rumors of his sexuality, which is pretty irrelevant when it comes to his success with Apple. There are plenty of successful openly gay men and women who could easily be role models for society.
We shouldn’t ignore someone’s right to privacy simply because his status would somehow aid the movement.
I’m just not sure this is the best way to further the cause. Until they fess up, I don’t think it’s ethical to “brand” anyone. It’s one thing to celebrate gay success, it’s another to trample on someone’s private life. After all, gays aren’t the only ones who don’t talk about their sexuality but you don’t see the media “outing” them…