Cook's courageous words signal sea change

Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement that he is gay has provoked extremely divided online comments. The corporate world, and the world at large, will not be the same regarding gay issues after his courageous step.

When I moved from Argentina to the United States with my wife and daughter in 1971, I encountered a different world regarding individual rights. Although at that time there was widespread discrimination against homosexuals both in Argentina and in the US, both societies slowly became more tolerant regarding issues of sexual identity. In spite of progress, however, I was able to see, in several instances, the tremendous damage to personal relationships caused by both men and women trying to hide their true sexual tendency. I saw several homosexual men who, for fear of society's discrimination, created heterosexual families only to abandon them later and come out leading an openly homosexual life.

Both Argentina and the United States are relatively open to gay and lesbian rights issues.