Whether it's my fundamentalist Christian parents in Georgia or a liberal Jewish friend in Ohio, a consensus has developed: that Anderson Cooper guy is a helluva telejournalist. I hate to give TV types credit, but CNN's Cooper has emerged as the go-to source for big stories, from Katrina to West Virginia. There's no denying he has an anchorman's presence, a la Peter Jennings.
Considering that two of the "Big Three" networks have (had) anchor openings, you'd think Cooper would be a candidate for those positions. ABC filled theirs just before the new year with a couple of no-names, and CBS is still courting teleginic twit Katie Couric. Why not blue jeans magnate Gloria Vanderbilt's son?
Because he's gay. He won't admit it, or deny it, and no one else seems willing to touch it. Trust me, he's queer, and that's not just based on intuition. I doubt that's a big revelation to most observers, nor to any of the alleged "liberal media elites," none of whom are prepared to go there, at least not yet.
I don't blame A.C. for keeping the closet door closed, nor do I admire him for it. There's lots of money --- and career satisfaction --- to be gained, and who is he to suffer just because the country remains mired in puritanical sexual mores?
I prefer contrarians, obviously, but I'm resigned to never finding him (or her) in the mainstream. Who's to blame: Cooper or society? I say both, to varying degrees.
Is it so difficult to trust a gay man's word?
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