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Apple chief executive Tim Cook has publicly acknowledged his sexuality, saying that he is "proud to be gay". Mr Cook made his announcement to try to help people struggling with their identity, he wrote in a Bloomberg article.He has been open about his sexuality, but has also tried to maintain a basic level of privacy until now, he said. This week Mr Cook challenged his home state of Alabama to ensure the rights of gay and transgender people."I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others," he wrote. "So if hearing that the CEO [chief executive] of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy," he added. Mr Cook said that he had been open about his sexuality with many people, including colleagues at Apple, but that it still "wasn't an easy choice" to publicly announce his sexual orientation.