Since he took control of Apple after the death of Steve Jobs, it feels like the only person who didn't say how Tim Cook is the most powerful gay executive in the world was Tim Cook. Today, he lets it all out.

In a first-person essay for Businessweek, Cook writes a simply and eloquently:

For years, I've been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I've had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people's differences. Not everyone is so lucky.

[...]

While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.

Cook goes on to say his prior (somewhat awkward) silence was a matter of personal privacy, but he decided speaking publicly about who he is—a gay titan of industry—would do more good:

When I arrive in my office each morning, I'm greeted by framed photos of Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy. I don't pretend that writing this puts me in their league. All it does is allow me to look at those pictures and know that I'm doing my part, however small, to help others. We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.

Tim! You killed it. No more media dissembling, no more pointless tip-toeing around the truth. This will come as a tremendous shock to the staff of the New York Times.

Photo: Getty