[H2]Sexual orientation[/H2]Some in the [A title=Gay href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay"]gay[/A] community believe that Cooper's [A title="Sexual orientation" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_orientation"]sexual orientation[/A] is an "open-secret" and want him to publicly '[A title="Coming out" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_out"]come out[/A]'. It has been further claimed, e.g. [A class="external text" title=vny!://www.blogactive.com/2005/09/new-york-magazine-outs-anderson-cooper.html href="vny!://www.blogactive.com/2005/09/new-york-magazine-outs-anderson-cooper.html"]In New York Magazine[/A], that discussion of Cooper's sexuality is increasingly seen as a liability to his career and so is no longer acknowledged; "his handlers at CNN [are] known to call sites and ask editors to delete references to Anderson Cooper being gay." Blogger [A class="external text" title=vny!://www.andytowle.com/bio.html href="vny!://www.andytowle.com/bio.html"]Andy Towle[/A] referred to Cooper as [A class="external text" title=vny!://towleroad.typepad.com/towleroad/2005/09/removing_the_fi.html href="vny!://towleroad.typepad.com/towleroad/2005/09/removing_the_fi.html"]"the most openly closeted gay man in America"[/A] after reading a [A title="New York Magazine" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Magazine"]New York Magazine[/A] article which reported on the matter as follows:
[BLOCKQUOTE]There has been a lot of chatter on the Internet about the fact that Cooper may or may not be gay, and [A title="The Village Voice" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Village_Voice"]Village Voice[/A] columnist [A title="Michael Musto" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Musto"]Michael Musto[/A] has taken pleasure in quoting the gay magazine [A class="external text" title=vny!://www.metrosource.com/ href="vny!://www.metrosource.com/"]Metrosource[/A], which has referred to Cooper as "the openly gay news anchor." It has been assumed in certain circles in New York partly because he lives what looks to some to be a gay social life. He's often seen at parties with [A title="Barry Diller" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Diller"]Barry Diller[/A], and he's friends with the [A title="Jake Shears" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Shears"]lead singer[/A] from the outré gay rock band the [A title="Scissor Sisters" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scissor_Sisters"]Scissor Sisters[/A]. And then there was the tempest in a teapot regarding a slightly heated interview last fall with [A title="Jerry Falwell" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell"]Jerry Falwell[/A] about [A title="Same-sex marriage" href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage"]gay marriage[/A]. Some Cooper-obsessed bloggers insist that the anchor outed himself on the air, taking the gay side of the debate and saying, "We pay taxes." They claim [A title=CNN href="vny!://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN"]CNN[/A] originally posted a [A class="external text" title=vny!://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0411/29/acd.01.html href="vny!://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0411/29/acd.01.html"]transcript[/A] with the "we" and then later changed it to "You pay taxes." Cooper has maintained all along that he said "you." When I bring up the sexuality issue with Cooper, he says, "You know, I understand why people might be interested. But I just don't talk about my personal life. It's a decision I made a long time ago, before I ever even knew anyone would be interested in my personal life. The whole thing about being a reporter is that you're supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group you're in, and I don't want to do anything that threatens that."
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