Apple CEO Tim Cook comes out as gay

Would it make any difference to you if the computer, phone, or music player you're using was made by a company headed up by a gay person?

While a wave of professional athletes made headlines over the past year when they came out of the closet as gay, and Hollywood stars have been increasingly doing so for some time, another glass closet has remained somewhat under-the-radar.

Gay CEOs of the largest companies in North America have remained invisible while many workers who are LGBT also still remain closeted at work for various reasons.

The CEO of one of the world's most valuable companies, Tim Cook of Apple, broke through that barrier and publicly came out as gay in an October 30 article he wrote for Bloomberg Businessweek.

Although his sexual orientation was already known in the business world, his public acknowledgement will contribute to improving attitudes about same-sex employees in the corporate environment, as it will help to dispel fears about negative impacts on careers or companies due to being open gay in the workplace.

His coming out arrives as the debate about same-sex marriage and rights continues across the U.S, as countries around the world have been passing homophobic laws (including Russia, India, and several African countries), and as citizens (in both urban and rural environments) continue with struggling to reconcile their sexual orientations.

His announcement also coincides with attempts in the gaming industry in recent years to become more inclusive by incorporating same-sex romance options for characters as well as LGBT–related content.