by Kolapo Olapoju

Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Tim Cook, has come out of the closet, to announce to the world that he is gay.

But then, it’s been known for years within several circles that Cook was homosexual, and had gay-leanings.

While it’s been an open secret all along, the media abstained from reporting it, probably out of respect for the Apple boss, and/or to give him the opportunity to out himself.

Here are 7 reasons why we’ve aways known he might be gay.

1. In October of 2013, Tim Cook was ranked number one on the list of powerful gay men and women in America, in the 7th annual OUT magazine compilation. The ranking was based on people whose power and prestige is instrumental in influencing the way Americans think about, and engage with, the world.

2. In December of the same year, during a speech at the U.N. after receiving an achievement award from his alma mater Auburn University, he talked about growing up in Alabama and the effect on him of seeing burning crosses.

3. He stated, “Since these early days, I have seen and have experienced many types of discrimination and all of them were rooted in the fear of people that were different than the majority. Today we have an opportunity to continue our progress with respect to race and also to embrace immigration reform and eliminate discrimination of the GLBT [sic] community.”

4. In February of 2104, Apple forced Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto a bill legalizing discrimination against homosexuals as long as the discriminator can claim religious prejudice.

5. In June of 2014, during a segment of “Squawk on the Street” on CNBC, co-anchor Simon Hobbs accidentally outed Cook, by directing a question at guest/columnist, Jim Stewart. He said, “I think Tim Cook is fairly open about the fact that he’s gay at the head of Apple isn’t he?” asked Hobbs to columnist Jim Stewart.”

6. The Apple CEO also showed up to San Francisco’s 44th annual Gay Pride Parade to cheer on the crowds and pose for photos with his beaming employees. He tweeted, “Congrats to 5000 Apple employees/families who attended today’s Pride parade. Inclusion inspires innovation.”

7. Three days ago, while speaking at the induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor, Cook lashed out at his home state’s stance on gays. He said, “Alabama was too slow to guarantee rights in the 1960s, and Alabama is still too slow on equality for the LGBT community.”

Kolapo Olapoju