Anderson Cooper's gay: Am I the only how doesn't give a damn

Why is everyone making such a big deal about Anderson Cooper 'coming out' about being gay? I could care less. He's gay, good for him. Why is this even in the news? People in this country are too concerned about sexual orientation and sexual preference. Live and let live.

I wish there was a clapping smiley Well said.

so until equality is real and true, and gays can get married everywhere and have the same rights as heteros, we NEED the anderson coopers to keep coming out. visibility matters. your own neighbor could be gay and you might not know. as long as a climate of hatred exists, and people can't feel safe being who they are, there's work to be done towards equality. the same can be said of race and gender.

All of my previous joking aside, this is exactly right. In most countries, certainly in the US, gays are openly discriminated against. Marriage laws are a perfect example of this. It helps to put a face on homosexuality. It's easier to discriminate against a faceless group than individuals: a neighbor, a friend, a family member, a well liked TV personality.

Fortunately, it seems the tide is turning now.

--P

Well, since I have no idea who he is, I definitely don't give a damn.

Da *kitten* is Anderson Cooper?

Who cares and good for him. Total non-issue for me.

I already knew he was.

He's pretty.

How much less could you care? I hope your goal of caring less is met soon . I look forward to not seeing more threads about this once you can't care less.

:-) Yeah, the incorrect use of that phrase is one of my peeves, too. :-)

To the OP: As for why Anderson Cooper (and others like him) coming out is a big deal (not that he came out recently; he's been fairly open about his lifestyle for a while) -- while the media oversensationalizes things, it's important because it's good for people who are bigoted to see people they respect and realize that they're gay -- and that maybe some of their preconcieved notions need re-thinking. If it's a wake-up call for one person, it's worth it. It's good for people who live amongst the bigoted and are struggling to accept who they are to see that there's a positive example of someone who is living a successful life, doing good things -- that being gay doesn't make you bad. It's good for kids who are being bullied to see such successful people who also happen to be gay -- proof positive that life isn't high school, and it does get better.

So yeah, his sexuality may not be a big deal, but the impact an example like his can have on other lives -- yeah, that's kind of a big deal.

You cared enough to post about it.

It is important because there is still a lot of hatred, discrimination, and violence against gay people. When that's a thing of the past, celebrities won't need to come out.

Are you kidding me? The guy will probably write another book about it and make millions of dollars. That's why "celebrities" come out.

You obviously have no clue. They come out for the same reason why those who have had cancer etc talk about it. It's to raise awareness. If people see that even celebrities are gay, have illnesses, etc it allows "regular" people to relate and be more aware. I can't remember the last person who wrote a book solely on their sexuality and made a bunch of money off it.

Did you seriously compare coming out to having cancer? Cancer awareness is raised to encourage people to get checked and help fund research for treatments. Cancer eats your insides away and is difficult for both the patient and those who love them. So you're saying celebrities are raising awareness so we should all get checked to see if we're gay? Is there an annual physical we need to go to to get tested? How does that test work? Do they have us watch porn and whatever turns us on the most dictates our orientation.

Don't compare sexuality to devastating diseases.

Its not comparing it to the actual disease but comparing it to why people come out and let others know they are gay, its to raise awareness and in hopes to create a more tolerable society. In the past you couldn't come out and let anyone know you were gay so this is a big step for many people to take in society. It raises awareness

Well said and I so agree!