Some gay workers still face a stigma in the workplace. Human Rights Campaign’s Jeff Krehely discusses how Tim Cook’s essay on being gay could help further civil rights. Photo: Getty

APPLE chief executive Tim Cook has publicly confirmed he is gay, with rights groups and company chiefs applauding his courage.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg was among those who praised the move, saying: “Thank you Tim for showing what it means to be a real, courageous and authentic leader.”

Former US President Bill Clinton also tweeted his support: “From one son of the South and sports fanatic to another, my hat’s off to you.”

However, not everyone is supportive.

Vitaly Milonov, a prominent Russian anti-LGBT lawmaker and St Petersburg city council member, said Russia should ban Cook for life for being gay.

“What could he bring us? The Ebola virus, AIDS, gonorrhoea? They all have unseemly ties over there,” he told theFlashNord website. “Ban him for life.”

In the US, Texas senator Ted Cruz reacted to the news by calling Cook’s coming out a “personal decision”.

“Those are his personal choices. I’ll tell you, I love my iPhone,” Cruz said. “Listen, Tim Cook makes his personal decisions, and that is his life. My focus is on the constitutional question of who has the authority to make decisions.”

The potential 2016 presidential candidate is a strident opponent of LGBT equality, denouncing recent court rulings in favour of marriage equality “tragic and indefensible”.

Messages of support came from politicians, tech industry leaders and celebrities.

Inspirational words from Apple CEO Tim Cook on being gay, and standing up for equality http://t.co/5UXOc6vGY9 — Richard Branson (@richardbranson) October 30, 2014

From one son of the South and sports fanatic to another, my hat's off to you, @Tim_cook. http://t.co/1dXvRa2Nhu — Bill Clinton (@billclinton) October 30, 2014

.@tim_cook, congrats on taking pride and making it easier for others throughout the world to do so! — Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) October 30, 2014

Thank you @tim_cook for publicly standing up and showing the world one can be a successful executive AND #LGBT! Today is a GREAT day. — Anthony Watson (@AnthonyWatson) October 30, 2014

Inspired by @tim_cook: “Life’s most persistent & urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’" http://t.co/wjzW5QPxqY via @BW — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) October 30, 2014

Cook inspired by Dr Martin Luther King

In an essay in Businessweek, Cook said he has always been a fan of privacy but the words of Dr Martin Luther King often nagged at him.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Cook wrote, quoting King.

“I often challenge myself with that question, and I’ve come to realise that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important. 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.

“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 has become the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company, according to gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.

Cook went on to say that coming out publicly was not an easy choice, but he did so in the hope that it might help others who are struggling with their sexuality.

“I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realise how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others,” he said. “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.”

Cook said that rather than being a burden, being gay has helped him to be a better man.

“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,” he said.

He said he was proud to work for a company that supported “human rights and equality for all”, but added that being gay was just one part of him.

“Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not defined only by one’s sexuality, race, or gender,” he said. “I’m an engineer, an uncle, a nature lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic, and many other things.”

Cook said he arrives in his office every morning to be greeted by the pictures 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,” he said. “We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.”