( CNN ) -- `` Did you hear the news ? Anderson Cooper came out , '' I heard one guy tell another on the elevator at the magazine where I work . `` Is it really 'coming out ' when everyone already knew you were gay ? '' the other guy joked . To media insiders in New York City , Cooper 's sexuality may have been no secret , but to the rest of the world , his romantic inclinations were a mystery -- an ever-present and provocative question mark . As an out lesbian and journalist , I 've always felt conflicted about the uncertainty of Cooper 's sexuality . On the one hand , I can delight in the mystery of a person 's unspoken and enigmatic preferences , wondering : Is he gay ? Straight ? Bi ? Maybe he 's asexual . On the other , before he came out I could n't help but wonder if he 'd felt the need to veil his homosexuality to make himself palatable to the masses . It 's irksome to think that he 'd have to cater to the ignorant until he could secure a large following . Hopefully his coming out will blast the perception that you ca n't be openly gay and a widely respected public figure . When I put on my journalistic hat , I can definitely vouch for his point in an e-mail to The Daily Beast 's Andrew Sullivan about the advantages of remaining unreadable to your interviewees . It 's easier to forge a bond and to gain the trust of your subjects if the conversation is n't crowded with your slant on hot-button issues . If they see you as neutral -- or a blank page -- they can assume ( albeit , often falsely ) that you share their core values and beliefs , which elevates their level of comfort and opens them up . Anderson Cooper : The fact is , I 'm gay . The truth is I can see the massive benefits of Cooper wanting to secure his professional standing before coming out . As a nationally beloved commentator , he 'll successfully test the hearts and minds of viewers who may not be comfortable with homosexuality but respect and admire him . He could n't have managed that had he come out before amassing a large and loving audience . The political impact of him revealing his same-sex preferences now , as opposed to when his career first launched , are far greater . But even now that he 's out , I ca n't quite put away the idea that there 's something wildly subversive and compelling about people who refuse firm categorization . I 'd even argue that it 's more radical -- maybe even more progressive -- to resist publicly categorizing one 's sexuality , especially given the dark underbelly of those categories , which work to classify , police , target and judge bodies , particularly those imbued with desires and pleasures society terms `` deviant . '' It may unsettle people to not know whether they are looking at a lesbian , gay , bisexual or transgendered person , but in the space of uncertainty and discomfort is a possibility for growth . My Take : Will there be gays in heaven ? We 're forced out of lazy habits of thought and compelled to keep questioning and wondering when the nature of something or someone is uncertain . In some ways , sexual identity categories foreclose this opportunity by locking us into place and stemming the possibility of reconceiving and reimagining the world . That said , I know that there 's a pragmatic purpose and power in numbers and visibility -- and that gay role models are as important as ever . With the epidemic of bullying in our country and the shocking number of high-profile gay teen suicides in recent years , Cooper 's announcement is no small coup for gay youths . Role models are important for all kids , but especially for those who 've been maligned and marginalized because of their difference . I can testify firsthand how important they were to me . Chely Wright : The cost of coming out . I did n't have any gay role models until I got to college . At UC Berkeley , in the late '90s , I majored in English with a concentration on gender and sexuality . My professors were a wild pack of queer and feminist thinkers intent on dismantling social hierarchies and trying to reassemble the world for the betterment of the misfit and mistreated . It was like living in a John Waters film , where all the freaks got center stage and were made to relish their queerness and triumph in their status as outsiders . Being in a room with an openly lesbian professor and knowing that I was valued , rather than vilified , for the ways in which I did n't fit in was a soothing antidote to all those adolescent years of self-loathing and doubt . When powerful pop cultural icons like Cooper affirm their homosexuality , it serves a similar purpose for gay kids . They are better able to see their way toward a brighter future and drum up the strength and courage to withstand the scorn and alienation that come -- far too often -- with being gay . But I 'm still fixing my hopes on the day when you wo n't be marked -- for better or worse -- for whom you choose to love . Opinion : Thank you , Anderson . Overheard : Celebs , readers 'proud ' of Anderson Cooper .
Writer Stephanie Fairyington says she 's felt conflicted about Cooper 's perspective on his sexuality . As a writer , Fairyington understands Cooper 's not wanting to become the story . As a gay youth , Cooper found she lacked role models . She hopes Cooper 's coming out encourages gay people to be proud of their identity .