Anderson Cooper Says He Knew He Was Gay At The Age Of 7
News anchor Anderson Cooper is opening up about when he realized he was gay — and when he “really, truly accepted it.”
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While answering viewer questions on CNN’s Full Circle Monday, the 53-year-old shared that he first knew “something was different” about him when he was a young child.
“I mean, I was probably, I don’t know, 7, when I kind of realized… I’m not sure I knew the word ‘gay’ at the time, but I realized something was up. Something was different,” he said, responding to someone who asked him how he learned to accept being gay and how old he was when he did. Cooper went on to share that later on, he had told people in high school that he was gay, but it wasn’t until after college that he “came around to really loving the fact that I was.” “I think I really, truly accepted it — and not just accepted it, but fully embraced it and you know, came around to really loving the fact that I was gay — would probably be right after college,” PEOPLE Magazine quotes.
He continued,
“You know, I kind of struggled in my teenage years, certainly, but even a little in college,” the father of one continued, explaining that “a lot of the things I wanted to do at the time, you couldn’t be gay.”
While looking back on his journey, Cooper explained he had many interests at the time — and considered joining the military — but felt he couldn’t because he was gay and worried for his “safety.” “It felt like there were a lot of limitations on it, and it wasn’t what I envisioned for my life. Or, I imagined a family and getting married. All those things which weren’t possible at the time,” said the anchor, who welcomed son Wyatt via surrogate last year.
Cooper, who came out publicly in an online letter in 2012, said that being gay has made him a better reporter because it gives him a different perspective.
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