“I think I really accepted that. And I not only accepted it, but I totally embraced it and came to really love the fact that I was gay right after college,” said Cooper.
Cooper shared that he struggled to accept being gay because of the limitations he and others faced in the late 1980s. Anderson thought about joining the army, but in 1982, the US Army declared that homosexuality was “incompatible with military service. “. Anderson wanted to travel, but being gay was illegal in some countries. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, some states allowed same-sex couples to register for domestic partnerships, but were unable to marry.
“It was not what I imagined for my life,” he said. “I imagined a family, a wedding and all those things that were not possible at the time.”
“I think about a year after college, I realized that I don’t want to waste any more time worrying about it and wanting to be otherwise,” said Cooper. “I think being gay is one of the blessings of my life. And it made me a better person, it made me a better reporter.”
“It allowed me to love the people I loved and have the life I had,” said Cooper. “So, I am very blessed.”