Tim Cook is Gay: It's 'Among the Greatest Gifts God Has Given Me,' Says CEO

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, came out as gay in an piece this week titled "Tim Cook Speaks Up." In it the technology and consumer electronics businessman said that he considers being gay "among the greatest gifts God has given me."

Tim Cook's sexuality has long been the subject of rumors — the Apple CEO has never married, though he has been present at LGBT events and called for discrimination against gays to stop as early as 2003. He did admit to many of his colleagues that he was gay previously, but he now believes that wasn't enough.

"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," he wrote in a piece in Businessweek.

Cook believes that being gay helps him empathize with those who are discriminated against.

"Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day," the 53-year-old CEO wrote. "It's made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life. It's been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry."

"It's also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you're the CEO of Apple," he added.