Tim Cook Speaks About His Own Discrimination as a Gay Man

After years of (silently) being the most powerful gay man in technology (and perhaps the entirety of corporate America), Apple CEO Tim Cook is starting to get personal. A recent speech on human rights organized by Auburn University shows a welcome side of the fiercely private executive.

"Since these early days, I have seen and have experienced many types of discrimination and all of them were rooted in the fear of people that were different than the majority."

It's perhaps the first time Tim Cook has ever mentioned his own sexuality.

The remarks, part of an achievement award bestowed upon Cook by the university, finally links talking about discrimination and relevant policy with the actual discrimination Cook's lived. There's nothing more powerful than that. It's brief, and overdue, but no less poignant. For all of tech's recent self-interested bellowing about immigration reform, it's good to see something slightly painful and very real.