I’ve already mentioned this before, but here we go again.

I’ve gotten it by more than one person (aka “sources close to CNN say…”) that Anderson has no problem being out and proud… as he was before with ABC news. It wasn’t an issue, he was a respected journalist, and life was great.

But making a move to CNN, it was the network that asked him to “calm it down”, and so he did… a point that was reiterated and strengthen, and paid for with Anderson’s new contract when he made the move from Atlanta back to New York (everyone in Atlanta was talking about it).

So, everyone needs to lay off Anderson, he’s under contract, and that trumps everything. If you really want him “outed” (which, how can you ‘out’ someone who has already come out, I have no clue)… the best thing is to lay pressure on CNN, not Anderson. Like an actor, musician, contractor, whoever… when you’re under contract, you’re under contract – your hands are tied. What can he possibly do? Everyone is bitching and complaining, but no one has given any thought to the BUSINESS side of it and the extreme expense of a ‘breach of contract’ lawsuit.

Anderson’s face is on front, but he’s not the one in control. He can’t threaten to leave, where will he go? Fox News won’t hire a homo. MSNBC can’t get the ratings. If all of you want Anderson out of the “glass closet” (for the second time), you have to pressure whoever is holding all the cards, and in this scenario it’s the people at CNN.

But this self-cannibalistic anger towards each other has to stop… it makes us weaker as a group, not stronger. Maybe it’s just easier to condemn other people from an arm’s distance then deal with our own faults – but what do I know?

My frustration, no matter whose "fault" it is, is that they are basically still placating to those that like to pretend that we don't exist.

But even if it's CNN and not Cooper, he agreed to the terms. I guess when money talks, integrity be damned...

For 50 million, I'll gladly go back into the closet.

Dawsher, please stop so inside baseball.
1) CNN is gay friendly, has many out employees
2) if he's already so outed everywhere, isn't it a little disingenuous to keep saying that they're telling him to "keep a lid on it"? A little late in the game
3) He could go anywhere. What makes you think Fox won't hire homos? They're rigth-wing idiots, but a lot of gays work there - in front of & in back of the camera. CBS would take him - they already have on 60 minutes.
4) even if all you say is true, that only makes him MORE of a self-hating hypocrite for having no balls.

I'm totally with Dawster on this: "But this self-cannibalistic anger towards each other has to stop… it makes us weaker as a group, not stronger. Maybe it’s just easier to condemn other people from an arm’s distance then deal with our own faults – but what do I know? "

I mean, if AC were some sort of raving hypocrite -- a gaybashing homophobe siding with the forces of fundy evil -- then yeah, let's gang up and out his butt. However, he's not. I just don't see at all why anyone really cares whether this guy outs himself or not. There are much bigger issues out there that deserve our attention besides demanding that celebrities declare their sexuality. If AC comes out publicly or doesn't, I suspect very few people's lives will be changed by the act. We should be focussing on real issues that impact the GLBT community, not bitchy celebrity gossip and beating up on allies, out or not.

I disagree with putting pressure on CNN to let Anderson "out".

However, I think we should all totally pressure CNN to hire Thomas Roberts back and put him on a show worthy of his...ahem...talent. Yay, TR!

its a mix of selling yourself to the devil and being an actor.

anderson is okay but i am more of a lou dobbs man myself.

jack jett

I think the difference to recognize is if Anderson Cooper is being hypocritical or simply private. If he routinely goes to public events with women intimating a relationship beyond friendship, if he answers interview question in a false manner rather than a vague manner, if he publicly portrayed living a heterosexual existence when it was known in private he was anything but, then we could feel justified in condemning his actions. I don't think he's crossed that line.

So until he does, since it's neither a corruption of ethics or the law, I think the man is entitled to any privacy he chooses regarding his sexuality. We're setting an amazingly high standard of conduct for him and other people in the public eye and it's probably the reason so many other recognizable people choose to cloak their sexuality. They simply don't want to feed the beast of public speculation in an area where it's nobody's business but their own.

To try to relate this to other things, would you expect Suze Orman to publish a report of her finances because she's a well-known financial advisor? Should we expect a documented understanding of celebrities' religious beliefs if they are thought to be Christians but never mention God in public? Should racial minorities be expected to publicly acknowledging their racial heritage?

fox news already has shepherd smith, amongst others.
we're EVERYwhere !

Fox News has Shep Smith, Bill Hemmer and Judge Napolitano to name just a few.

BTW, Suze Orman did reveal her financial worth when she came out and that of her wife.

Good Morning America has Sam Champion who is Out....there is Rosie on the View, Ellen and so on.

Anderson Cooper is Gay....I don't believe he has to go back in the closet (which he did) to be viable..that is a load of you know what! CNN is a bunch of homophobes....I have no use for them. As was said, CBS has hired him, surely NBC would and ABC.....he would have his choice of any job...geesh, Oprah has AC as her special correspondent on a variety of issues.....and by AC allowing himself to go back in the closet based upon contract issues..that speaks of his lack of integrity and self worth as a human being. That disgusts me even more to know he did that.

Keith Olberman got it dead on accurate!

I'm sick of Keith and his anti-Anderson tirades. He looks like a fool with this stuff. Anderson's not "pretending" to be anything, he just doesn't talk about what some demand he should and I'm sure he doesn't give a crap about Keith and his opinions.