"Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It's made me more empathetic, which has led to a richer life.
"It's been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity and bigotry. It's also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you're the CEO of Apple."
Cook has long been an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and gave a speech at his former university in Alabama last year in which he touched upon his own experience of discrimination.
He also wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal voicing his support for equality in the workplace, saying: "At Apple, we try to make sure people understand that they don't have to check their identity at the door."
He has also criticised his home state of Alabama's lack of action over gay rights, saying that we "can't change the past, but we can learn from it, and we can create a different future". Cook admitted that announcing publicly his sexuality was not an easy decision. "I don't consider myself an activist, but I realise how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others," he wrote in BusinessWeek.
"So if hearing that the CEO 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.
"I'll admit that this wasn't an easy choice. Privacy remains important to me, and I'd like to hold on to a small amount of it. When I arrive in my office each morning, I'm greeted by framed photos of Dr King and Robert F Kennedy. I don't pretend that writing this puts me in their league.
"All it does is allow me to look at those pictures and know that I'm doing my part, however small, to help others."
Cook was appointed CEO after the resignation of the late Steve Jobs.
