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1. I've gone on record before expressing my discontent about how Anderson gets too little criticism here compared to, say, Lance Bass or TR Knight who despite other flaws, at least aren't still closeted. I'm really glad to see that people are finally coming around. Thank you Cory for saying it like it is, people really need to hear it.

   Posted by: Butter | Feb 27, 2008 12:37:39 PM

   
   

2. Sorry about double posting but I just want to reply to Jeremy directly:

   About Anderson: If it's in his contract, he should sue CNN for discrimination and maybe work for Logo?

   About King: When I was at school in the 90's, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I was constantly bullied in and out of the classrooms. And I wasn't even out, until I was "outed" freshman year of high school by my supposed "best friend".

   I can give you my account that the teachers just sat idly by as other students threw school supplies at me during most classes. Needless to say I didn't pass freshman year, and did an Equivalency course instead. I didn't grow the balls to decide to go to college until two years after I got my high school diploma, this time I spent pretty much as a shut-in at home.

   Now I'm 22 years old, 3rd year of Industrial Design college. Many of my teachers are gay, some of my classmates are gay, but everyone except me is closeted. Some, like Anderson, will sometimes allude to it, but don't dare say the "G" word out loud.

   There is still plenty of homophobia, although nowadays I have learned how to stand up for myself for the most part. Even tough things are obviously not perfect, it still feels like paradise compared to High School.

   Posted by: Butter | Feb 27, 2008 1:05:29 PM

   
   

3. So, parents are uncomfortable with "homosexuality" being "taught" in schools? How do you "teach homosexuality"? What they are afraid of is that the TRUTH might taught--that gay and lesbian people are HUMAN BEINGS and that they are born gay or lesbian and no amount of hellfire and brimstone or bullshit jesus is going to change any gay or lesbian into something they cannot or do not want to be--which is "straight". What angers me is no one in the media is discussing the fundamentalist filth and homophobe bigots like Naugle in Ft. Lauderdale (and nearly another murder there) or James Dobson as the ones who are ultimately responsible for such tragedies as the death of that lovely child, Lawrence King. What outcry would there be if a group of gays decided to go out and beat the bloody hell out of some straight boy? Perhaps that is the only option left: fight violence with violence.

   Posted by: mike | Feb 27, 2008 1:15:14 PM

   
   

4. My friends [straight] saw this first as a promo on Larry King and then watched it. They thought it had just happened. When I told them that it happened two weeks ago, they wanted to know why they hadn't heard about it then. I told them the obvious - if it isn't a straight mass-murder and it is gay the MSM doesn't have anything to do with it.

   When I told them about the kid that was killed in Fort Lauderdale this weekend and the guy who was attacked for saying "Good Morning" they saw, for the first time, exactly what we deal with.

   Now, these are my closest friends [almost family] who have never had any problem with my being gay, have met my gay friends, have known many other gays that I don't know, and have been totally supportive in every way. I would trust them with my life.

   We are all so insulated. I am sad that it has to take a Matthew Shepard or Lawrence King to underline the inequality and fear that really exists in this country.

   Posted by: mike/ | Feb 27, 2008 1:30:39 PM

   
   

5. This is just sad.

   On the topic of AC, do anyone believes if AC was straight, he still be private on his private life or show up at public events with his girlfriend/wife?

   Posted by: Jack | Feb 27, 2008 2:11:53 PM

   
   

6. Huffingtonpost's post about AC360 cutting Lawrence King murder from their podcast.

   "Cooper says that his show is going to be looking into the facts surrounding King's murder, and bring on board Dr. Charles Sophy, the medical director of the LA County Department of Children and Family Services. Wonderful! That sounds interesting. I immediately rushed to CNN's site and downloaded a podcast of last night's show. The clip included routine coverage of the impending elections, a section on Ralph Nader, North Korea, and a 4 year-old who sings the Beatles. But Lawrence King and the tragic, confusing circumstances surrounding his death were conspicuously absent.

   Now, I realize that when one cuts an hour-long show down to 24 minutes and 27 seconds, some sacrifices must be made. As a former trainee correspondent at CNN's Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN IBN) in New Delhi, I am well aware of the effort that goes into making sure that every show is a balance of serious and feel-good stories. But honestly, excluding this murder from your podcast while giving ample room to a kid singing in his underwear (not to mention the never ending banter between Cooper and Erica Hill)? This, after having just blogged about how the story has been ignored by the press? That's a terrible lapse of judgment."

   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dipayan-gupta/cnn-cuts-gay-teen-killing_b_88595.html

   Posted by: Alex | Feb 27, 2008 2:35:47 PM

   
   

7. "Also, if I were to ever run in or have dinner with AC, his reasons for not coming out would be the first question I asked."

   I am also curious why Cory, who comes across here as a strong-willed and opinionated person, didn't confront Anderson at the dinner and ask him why he doesn't say publicly that he's gay. It's ultimately all on Anderson's shoulders, but it's possible that in a casual setting like that he may have given an explanation for his silence.

   Posted by: Matt | Feb 27, 2008 2:50:41 PM

   
   

8. Matt, to answer your question, it was a long time ago, and it was in a situation with numerous other people. I highly doubt Mr Cooper even remembers the evening. It would have been HIGHLY inappropriate to question someone in a room filled with diners (as you stated, it's his personal issue). Further, I wasn't even aware of his popularity as much as I am today. I believe my opinion has changed as Mr Cooper has gained much more recognition since then, and especially covering a subject matter this close to home, which is why I commented. There is a time and place for questions such as that, and that time wasn't one of them.

   Posted by: Cory | Feb 27, 2008 3:20:53 PM

   
   

9. "My apologies for my strong remarks, but I find it appalling that he has the nerve to report about tolerance and the killing of a gay student when he himself can't make the move in acknowledging his own sexuality. " -- Cory

   Never apologize for these kinds of remarks, particularly about closeted gay men in high-profile jobs. These fuckers make me sick. One of my bosses is queer to the point of posting his mug & details in gay personals ads, but refuses to be openly gay with us -- even though most of us know he's family. He's exactly like the guy in Brain Candy who watches the gay porn but doesn't know he's one of us!

   Posted by: Matt | Feb 27, 2008 11:38:34 PM

   
   

10. I must say that the comments here made me rethink my longstanding crush on Anderson . . . it's nice to be swayed by good Towleroad arguments. :-)

    http://placeinsun.blogspot.com/2008/02/honeymoon-is-over-anderson.html

    Posted by: Ernie | Feb 27, 2008 11:50:17 PM

    
    

11. Thanks for the reply Cory.

    Well, my longstanding 'crush' on Anderson is still...standing. I'd like to see him come out one day, but I don't hold it against him now because he chooses not to; I think there are worse people out there who are doing more of a disservice to the gay community so I don't really mind being the lone Anderson supporter here.

    Posted by: Matt | Feb 28, 2008 4:27:58 AM

    
    

12. Young teenagers are not looking to CNN for behavioral role models, most likely not the ones who are coming out and definitely not the ones who might shoot them. Gay kids are going to go online and find out about which celebrities are probably gay. AC will probably not be of much interest to them as an old news guy. If they do notice him, however, he is one of the few American media personalities everyone knows with real confidence to be gay and to live an openly gay life even if he doesn't discuss it. He is also looks happy, respected, healthy, hardworking, has managed to avoid major embarrassment or scandal (maybe because the press won't report on his sex life until he officially outs himself), and is excelling in a non-traditionally gay field. If you are a miserable gay kid thinking life will be shit because you're gay that could give you a boost of hope. Or maybe it won't do anything because you can't be bothered to pay attention to the old guy. He is available for them to observe if they want to, though, and for straights to notice. He is also in a position where he can focus the world's attention on Lawrence King's murder. Those things are significant regardless of whether some people here want more. Have you created a positive impression of what a gay man can be for more people in the world than he has?

    CNN wouldn't have a clause in his contract that said specifically said that he couldn't come out because it would be unenforceable for multiple practical reasons. They would have a standard generally worded "morality clause" that would allow them to get rid of him if something seriously changed people's view of him in a way that was inconsistent with his job duties and/or the image of CNN. They could terminate him or squeeze him out until he left like Thomas Roberts. Leaving CNN either way would mean waiting years until he was allowed to work news again under the terms of CNN contracts.
    

    Posted by: G | Feb 28, 2008 8:44:20 PM

    
    

13. "One of my media man-crushes, the awesome reporter Anderson Cooper, is another public figure who can't figure out whether he wants to publicly be out or in, despite the crushing amount of bandwidth consumed by folks picking the lock on his closet door with stories of his social life outside CNN's studios."

    "all of this tip-toeing out of the closet, while it may be easier for the celebrities in question, only reinforces that there is something wrong/bad/embarrassing/private about being gay."

    The full post is here:
    http://pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=DA2C73A8EEB978203A105667F01CC0E2?diaryId=4637

    Posted by: John In Manhattan | Feb 29, 2008 11:38:28 AM

    
    

14. I'm not trying to be an asshole, but honestly, nobody else finds this a little depressing and embarrassing? Look at this. All the outrage at this hate crime is being wasted on ripping Cooper a new asshole for not ticking off all the boxes on our coming out checklists and for once years ago being judged an unsatisfactory dining companion. What is this? A young kid has been shot dead for being gay. It will not substantially protect our children from other kids if Cooper comes out entirely and gets fired, or comes out and manages to continue doing his thing politely and neutrally telling news, or does a broadcast while Jeff Corwin fucks him.

    Do we seriously think in Lawrence King's final moments he sent up a prayer that anger over his death among his own would launch a major initiative to push a 40 year old newscaster further along the journey to be an out public figure? Where is the self-motivation and constructive ideas? Where's the avowals to participate more in community action, work harder in the fight to ban hand guns, help develop services and resources for bullied and endangered gay youth? Where's the determination to push other news sources to also cover this story? People on TV are not gods, and it's no good expecting them to be perfect or waiting around for them to fix life. Anderson isn't everything I'd include in an ideal gay male celebrity. Neither are any of the other gay male celebrities really. However, I'm glad to have gay voices in the news whether they are ready to identify themselves fully or not since otherwise stories like these might be completely neglected.

    Anderson's very polite and pleasant with even offensive guests and he won't talk to the press about being gay, but I don't think that makes him less of an asset than the famous guys who will talk about being gay and spend an unfortunate amount of time confirming for the straight public and role modelling for the kids all the negative gay stereotypes like being in bitchy cat fights, superficial, only genuinely concerned about gay causes which of course in their self-interest, drug prone, unsuited to tough or dangerous work, engaged in sex in public toilets, and all those good things. There aren't that many known gay celebrities and I'm not prepared to get overly judgemental on them if they offer us something and have some pluses.

    Posted by: G | Mar 1, 2008 4:03:17 AM

    
    

15. Amen G.

    Posted by: Matt | Mar 6, 2008 4:50:23 AM

    
    

16. Some of you fools are either terribly unsophisticated, prejudiced, or both. Anderson Cooper stated that he didn't want to reveal too much about himself because as a journalist, he wants to report the story, not be part of the story, or influence the story in any way. If he revealed he was gay, how could he be objective and impartial? Can't you understand that? TV reporters and hosts mustn't have too much of a connection to the news. For example, Andrea Mitchell. Uh, wait... she's married to Alan Greenspan. Okay, bad example, but okay, Chuck Scarborough. Just a sec... wasn't he a congressman? Give me a moment... Maria Shriver! Yes, Maria... no, that won't work. Okay, I've got it. Barbara Walters. Perfect example. Uh-oh, I forgot, she used to date Roy Cohn and was pals with the Reagans. But Armstrong Williams, now there's somebody completely neutral, after all-- I've just been handed a telegram: Armstrong Williams was a paid flack for the Bush2 administration. I'm sorry- what was the point I was trying to make about Anderson Cooper?

    
    

    Posted by: ProfessorVP | Mar 26, 2008 7:52:35 PM

    
    
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