“I think I really accepted it. And not only did I accept it, but I fully accepted it and really loved going to university for being gay,” Cooper said.
Cooper said he struggled to be gay because of limitations he and others faced in the late 80s. Anderson thought about joining the military, but in 1982 the U.S. military declared homosexuality “incompatible with military service.” Anderson wanted to travel, but in some states he was illegal. In the late ’80s and early’ 90s, some states allowed couples to register for domestic partnerships, but they were not allowed to marry.
“It was not what I imagined my life,” he said. “I imagined a family that would get married, and all the things that were not possible at the time.”
“I think about a year after college I realized I did not want to waste any more time worrying about this and wishing I was different,” Cooper said. “I think being gay is one of the blessings in my life. And it made me a better person, it made me a better reporter.”
“It enabled me to love the people I loved and to have the life I had,” Cooper said. “So I’m very blessed.”