"The fact is, I'm gay." When The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan emailed his friend Anderson Cooper to ask what he thought about gay people in public life who come out in a more restrained and matter-of-fact way than in the past, the TV reporter responded with a well thought out response that he let his writer friend publish.

Despite many rumors, this is the first time Cooper has publicly stated his sexual orientation.

From The Daily Beast:

Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I've thought about for years. Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life...

But I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons. Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people’s stories, and not my own...

I did not address my sexual orientation in the memoir I wrote several years ago because it was a book focused on war, disasters, loss and survival. I didn't set out to write about other aspects of my life.

Recently, however, I’ve begun to consider whether the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle. It’s become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it is simply not true.

The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."

To read Cooper's full response on The Daily Beast, CLICK HERE.