Bromo of the Week: Anderson Cooper

“The fact is, I’m gay.”

As we’re sure most of you know by now, Anderson Cooper has come out and said that he is gay.

In a blog post on his friend Andrew Sullivan’s blog, Anderson was asked to weigh in on the topic of gay people in the public eye and whether or not they should come out publicly.

In his reply, Anderson disclosed to the public that he is, in fact, gay and he explained a bit why he kept it quiet for so long.

On being a journalist:

” I’ve always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn’t matter.”

On why it’s the right time to come out:

“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.”

On being gay:

“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.”

On bullying:

“…the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.”

Anderson is a well-known and respected journalist who kept his sexuality a secret for professional reasons. We are glad that he was able to come out publicly though, because he shares a very important message: you should never be ashamed of who you are.

And for that, Anderson Cooper is our Bromo of the Week.

Zealots Boycotting Oreo Because of a Picture

Get ready to blow a gasket.

Last night, Oreo posted the following the picture to their Facebook page:

What followed was a slew of homophobic and idiotic comments from assholes:

“Boo…This makes me sad that oreo’s support homosexuality.” – Toni Lipford, 1 Like.

“gays need to leave america.” – Dylan Arsenault, 3 Likes.

“This is absolutely disgusting. Your attempt to “normalize” the behaviour of homosexuals has cost you a customer.” – Desean Washington, 4 Likes.

“don’t support gays or the companies that do, and hell yea i’m a hater! being a fag is just wrong and always will be!!!! you should all be exiled to some island where you can all share aids together!! no more oreos for this family!!!!!” – Robert Hunter, 1 Like.

“Homosexual ‘love’ is not real love. ‘Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life his friends.’ — Jesus Christ. You are supporting the wrong things Oreo. Won’t be buying your cookies no mo’ in my house. ENjoy your new lack of sales!!!! :)” – Crystal Walker, 1 Like.

And that’s just a sample of them. Buzzfeed has compiled a list of them if you want to get your blood boiling even more.

Personally, I think Oreo is better off without these people. Actually, a lot of things would be better off without these people. But I’m not going to call for them to be exiled to an island where all bigots can share diseases together because that’s just wrong… and I’m not an asshole (I’m looking at you, Robert Hunter).

What really scares me though is most of these people are parents and have families. These are the “values” (and I really hate to use that word here) that they’re passing on to their children. “Homosexual love is not real love”!?!?! Where do they even come up with this shit?!

This morning, the Oreo page was flooded with more positive comments in support of the company’s stance on gay pride. Most of these commenters also denounced the ‘haters’ who will no longer be buying Oreos. Good riddance.

Thank you, Oreo, for taking a stand and for not backing down in the face of bigots and bullies.

Bromo of the Week: Kameron Slade

Kameron Slade, a grade 5 student at PS 195 in Queens, NY, won a class competition with a poignant speech in favour of gay marriage. He was meant to deliver it in front of the entire student body for the school-wide competition when his principal stepped in. Kameron was told that he was not allowed to deliver his speech because it was deemed inappropriate. Furthermore, he was told by his principle that he would be removed from the contest entirely if he did not change his topic.

“Like President Obama, I believe that all people should have the right to marry whoever they want,” his speech begins. “I believe that same-sex marriage should be accepted worldwide, and that parents and teachers should start to discuss these issues without shame to their students.”

After getting some publicity from local news channels, the school’s chancellor, Dennis Walcott, stepped in and gave Kameron permission to deliver his speech at a special assembly for 5th graders.

Kameron is our Bromo of the Week for his courage and understanding of love. Here is his speech in full, delivered to NY1:

Thank you Kameron and congratulations on a well-written speech!