Anderson Cooper has, at long last, publicly said he is gay.

Cooper made the announcement in an email to writer Andrew Sullivan.

"The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," he wrote.

Cooper's sexuality has long been the subject of ample media speculation, but he has never publicly confirmed it.

“I just don’t talk about my personal life," he told New York magazine in 2005. "...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.”

On Monday, though, Cooper reversed course:

"I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist."

Cooper also said that he ultimately decided that he was doing more harm than good by not speaking up:

"It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true. I’ve also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible."

Previously, the 45-year-old CNN anchor and daytime talk show host has been romantically linked to Benjamin Maisani, the co-owner of New York City gay bars Eastern Bloc and Bedlam.

Cooper becomes at least the sixth, though by far the most high-profile, openly gay anchor in the cable news business. He joins CNN colleagues Don Lemon and Jane Velez-Mitchell, as well as MSNBC's Thomas Roberts, Rachel Maddow and Steve Kornacki.

【新聞快訊】

美國有線新聞網(CNN)金牌新聞節(jié)目主持人安德森·庫珀日前在與知名新聞網站《每日野獸》專欄作家安德魯·蘇利文的郵件中正式承認了其同性戀身份?，F年45歲的庫珀在郵件中稱：“我是同性戀，此前一直都是，以后我也會一直是；我對此很高興很舒心很自豪?！?/p>

在郵件中庫珀寫道：“對于我生活中的這一部分，我對我的家人、朋友和同事是很誠實和開放的。在這個完美的世界中，我不認為我的性取向是別人應該關心的東西。但我覺得站出來表明立場是有價值的。我并不是同性戀的激進人士，但我不會因為我是個新聞工作者，就改變我的性取向?！?/p>

“關于長期對待我自己個人生活方面的沉默，現在越來越清晰的顯示我給了大家一個錯誤的認識，認為我在刻意回避一些事情，一些讓我自己感到不舒服，羞愧的或者甚至恐懼的事情。這是令人煩惱的因為這根本就不是真是的?！?/p>

庫珀的性取向之前一直受到關注，紐約一家著名同性戀酒吧的股東Benjamin Maisani被認為是庫珀的男友。而如今庫珀成為第六位公開自己的同性戀身份的美國有線新聞集團的工作人員，也是其中最大牌的一位。