发信人: Mahone (Mahone), 信区: PDA
标 题: Tim Cook 正式出柜
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Thu Oct 30 07:57:37 2014, 美东)
Throughout my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain a basic level of
privacy. I come from humble roots, and I don’t seek to draw attention to
myself. Apple is already one of the most closely watched companies in the
world, and I like keeping the focus on our products and the incredible
things our customers achieve with them.
At the same time, I believe deeply in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King,
who said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you
doing for others?’ ” I often challenge myself with that question, and I’
ve come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me
back from doing something more important. That’s what has led me to today.
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.
Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the
minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other
minority groups deal with every day. It’s made me more empathetic, which
has led to a richer life. It’s been tough and uncomfortable at times, but
it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to
rise above adversity and bigotry. It’s also given me the skin of a
rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple.
The world has changed so much since I was a kid. America is moving toward
marriage equality, and the public figures who have bravely come out have
helped change perceptions and made our culture more tolerant. Still, there
are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire
people based solely on their sexual orientation. There are many places where
landlords can evict tenants for being gay, or where we can be barred from
visiting sick partners and sharing in their legacies. Countless people,
particularly kids, face fear and abuse every day because of their sexual
orientation.
I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited
from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay
can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring
comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their
equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.
I’ll admit that this wasn’t an easy choice. Privacy remains important to
me, and I’d like to hold on to a small amount of it. I’ve made Apple my
life’s work, and I will continue to spend virtually all of my waking time
focused on being the best CEO I can be. That’s what our employees deserve—
and our customers, developers, shareholders, and supplier partners deserve
it, too. Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not
defined only by one’s sexuality, race, or gender. I’m an engineer, an
uncle, a nature lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic,
and many other things. I hope that people will respect my desire to focus on
the things I’m best suited for and the work that brings me joy.
The company I am so fortunate to lead has long advocated for human rights
and equality for all. We’ve taken a strong stand in support of a workplace
equality bill before Congress, just as we stood for marriage equality in our
home state of California. And we spoke up in Arizona when that state’s
legislature passed a discriminatory bill targeting the gay community. We’ll
continue to fight for our values, and I believe that any CEO of this
incredible company, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, would
do the same. And I will personally continue to advocate for equality for
all people until my toes point up.
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.
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Thursday, October 30, 2014
Tim Cook 正式出柜
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