During an episode of Full Circle this Monday, Anderson Cooper claimed he first realized he was gay when he was just 7-years-old. Cooper says that while he didn’t even know what the word “gay” was at the time, he knew something wasn’t right. He felt like “something was up.”
Anderson responded to a fan’s question on Monday where he revealed not only the date that he realized something was different about him but also the point in his life where he really started to come into his own and appreciate his individuality.
The 53-year-old said he didn’t start to love the fact he was gay until he graduated from Yale University in 1989. Anderson went on to say that while he accepted it earlier in his life, he didn’t truly learn to embrace and love it until after he graduated college.
Cooper claimed he struggled to come to terms with who he truly was as a teenager, but also as a college student. It took time for him to come into his own and learn about his identity, and appreciate the things that made him different.
According to the CNN anchor, he was interested in a lot of things at the time, but one thing he remembers succinctly is his desire to join the military. However, due to his being gay, Anderson said he had reservations about joining because he might’ve been targeted by other men. Cooper also talked about how he would dream about having a family, getting married, or joining the military.
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All of those goals seemed so out of reach at the time. Of course, things have changed a lot since the late 1980s, and Cooper just had his son via surrogate last year.
According to Cooper, being gay has done a lot for his ability to be a broadcaster because it gave him a different way of understanding things. He says he has a different perspective.
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Fans of the anchor know Cooper came out as a gay man in 2012. Anderson wrote in his letter at the time that he was gay, he “always had been,” and was totally happy and comfortable with himself.
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