Anderson Cooper: A Role Model for LGBT Youth in 2023

Everyone needs a role model, someone to admire and emulate. It gives you hope during the difficult times of adolescence, when self-discovery and defining your identity is reaching its apex. This is especially true for LGBTQ youth who might not have the support their heterosexual counterparts might have from home, school or other support systems.

The quick-witted, intelligent CNN News Anchor Anderson Cooper has been in the limelight for almost two decades and a public figurehead in the LGBTQ community since 2012. In a generation where gay men are still pigeon-holed by the media as flamboyant, superficial and used as comic relief, Anderson Cooper has unintentionally but thankfully gone against the grain.

Having a gay man as a top news anchor as well as a noteworthy player in the politics of Washington DC is tremendously important to LGBTQ youth who are consumed by the media. The media, whether consciously or subconsciously, has an enormous effect on the minds of those exposed to it. Thanks to advances in media psychology we now know exposure to the media can re-shape a person’s view of the world, of others and themselves.

In today’s world, LGBTQ youth were born years after the dawn of the internet and many had smartphones in middle school. Having LGBTQ characters in movies and TV is now the rule not the exception. This is a far cry from the 1990’s when Wilson Cruz, the first openly gay actor played the first openly gay character on an American TV series as “Ricki” in MTV’s “My So-Called Life.” Gay youth connected and revered Cruz’s character because they saw someone on TV who resembled them and was facing similar struggles. This was an important connection and parallel that was created and shaped how many LGBTQ youth gained their confidence and found their way in a homophobic world.

When Anderson Cooper came out in 2012 he made no apologies while bringing light to a situation which could have been somewhat dark and tumultuous. Cooper was quoted saying, "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's enabled me to love the people that I've loved and have the life that I've had, so I'm very blessed." This beautiful sentiment spoke volumes to the LGBTQ community.

The value which Anderson Cooper contributes with his career and his visibility in the gay community is significant. Cooper did not intend to succeed in a highly visible career simply in defiance of what the media had cast as the stereotypical gay male profession. Until a few years ago, in movies and TV, we were still seeing the exhaustive gay male trope of the hairdresser, florist, fashion designer or wedding planner. There is nothing demeaning or wrong about these wonderful career choices, it is simply non-representative of the entire LGBTQ world.

Everyone should be able to be openly part of the LGBTQ community in whichever career choice they make. Cooper succeeded in a mainly heterosexual-dominant field and was not afraid to vocalize his standing in the gay community. Whether he asked for it or not, many queer youth idolize him as a successful gay man on CNN’s nightly news program and on his self-titled show “Anderson Cooper 360.” He is a stellar example of what you can accomplish while “out” if your interests happen to lie outside the stereotype of gay males which the media has perpetuated.

The same holds true for the few sports stars who have come out (only after they have retired), for young gay athletes who believe it is impossible to be out and succeed in their chosen profession at the same time. For example, Michael Sam (2015) has been the only openly gay football player while actively playing in the NFL, in the entirety of the NFL’s 100-year history. Clearly more trailblazers are needed in the world of sports to welcome LBGTQ youth who could be budding sports stars.

Anderson Cooper has become a beacon of strength and a trailblazer for the LGBTQ community. In 2016 Cooper was the first LGBTQ person to moderate a presidential debate in the general election. He was confronted with animosity and hatred from many conservatives for earning this role. For example, New York radio talk-show host Alex Jones announced on his show that the presidential debate was going to be moderated by “twinkle-toes, bite your pillow, Anderson Cooper.” This was some of the lighter, homophobic slurs that were disgustingly spouted about Cooper. Despite the attack on his character, he went on to superbly perform his duty as moderator for the 2016 debate.

All LGBTQ individuals who are in the spotlight are bound to get negative feedback, it is sadly the nature of the media-beast. Although Cooper has gotten more flack than most, due to his job, which by the conservative media and Washington’s standards is not a gay man’s role. Which leads us back to the stereotype: what is a gay man’s role? To decorate the presidential debate and dress the attendees? Seemingly unaffected by this hate-filled criticism, Cooper has remained at the top of his game. He has gone on to publicly announce the adoption of his son Wyatt, who he is co-parenting with his boyfriend Benjamin Maisani. The pictures of this beautiful family graced the cover of People magazine.

The “normalcy” that is depicted when People magazine published two gay men raising a baby hopefully radiates and is engrained in the minds of LGBTQ youth. Hopefully they can envision themselves succeeding in any profession while being “out” with the person they love. This may be a utopian ideal that may take generations to come to fruition but having men such as Anderson Cooper in the spotlight takes us one step closer to this ideal.