American journalist Anderson Cooper (45) came out as a gay man in July 2012.
Today, in honor of the 2013 GLAAD awards, he spoke with HuffPost Gay Voices Editor-at-Large Michelangelo Signorile on March 11.
Cooper, the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, was selected to receive the Vito Russo Award. Anderson once cited his mother's grief over his brother's suicide over 20 years ago as his inspiration for a career in journalism. His brother, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, killed himself almost 20 years ago.
What did the “Anderson Cooper 360” host have to say about being gay? He spoke to Signorile via Sirius radio: "I've always known I was gay from the time I was a little kid. I can't remember a time when I wasn't aware of it, even before I knew what it was or the name of it."
The Vito Russo Award Cooper is set to receive from GLAAD on March 16 aims to recognize his efforts as an LGBT advocate, and a voice for raising awareness on the issue of bullying against the GLBT community.
He reflects on what receiving the award, which will be presented by Madonna, means to him: "I certainly don't think I'm worthy of it, but if it helps GLAAD and if it helps have more people know who Vito Russo is, then I think it is certainly worthwhile."
Anderson Cooper talks about his his brother's death impacted him as a professional: “If you feel like an outsider, you tend to observe things a lot more. Early on I felt very much like an observer, because I knew I was gay, I knew I was somehow different."
He adds comments on how loss weaved its way into his reporting over the years:"If you learn the language of loss early, I think you seek out others who have experienced the same thing, who speak that same language of loss."
The 24th Annual GLAAD awards are set to take place in New York on March 16, in Los Angeles on April 20, and May 11 in San Francisco. Hosts for the award ceremonies include Good Morning Anchors Lara Spencer, Josh Elliot, and Sam Champion.
Sources: Gay Star News, Huffington Post
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