OUT Reeeeeeeally Wants Anderson Cooper to Come Out, Don't They?

-- Brian Juergens from AfterElton.com

Out magazine has released their second annual "Power 50", their rankings of the 50 most powerful gays and lesbians in the country. It's pretty much a by-the-numbers list as far as those things go, but one name close to the top of the list is not like the others:

3. Anderson Cooper

This is nothing new, considering the mag tried to nudge (shove? bum-rush?) the foxy newsman out last year in the first annual list. (Last year's controversial issue also featured pics of Cooper and Jodie Foster - who appears on the list again this year - on the cover. Foster has notably inched out a smidge in the year since.)

Again the question of whether a publication called Out should be placing a public figure who is NOT "out" on a list of influential gays and lesbians, much less at #3. If an assumedly gay anchor shouts "fire" in a crowded theatre and no one knows that he's gay, is there still a fire? Or something like that?

Ellen DeGeneres takes the top spot, and it's hard to argue there. And Brothers & Sisters creator Greg Berlanti makes the list and rates a feature on the queer-inclusive shows he's gotten on the air.

Full list ... any thoughts?

50. Kelly Bush
49. Benny Medina
48. Brian Swardstrom
47. Susan Arnold
46. Martina Navratilova
45. Jonathan Burnham
44. Bob Greenblatt
43. Adam Rose
42. Bryan Lourd
41. Carolyn Strauss
40. Christine Vachon
39. Jon Stryker
38. Lorri L. Jean
37. Simon Halls & Stephen Huvane
36. Annie Leibovitz
35. Randy Lovely
34. Craig Zadan & Neil Meron
33. Jim Nelson
32. Jeremy Bernard & Rufus Gifford
31. Rosie O'Donnell
30. Sheila Kueh
29. Adam Moss
28. Tim Gunn
27. Jasper Johns
26. Fred Hochberg
25. Tom Ford
24. Suze Orman
23. Anthony Romero
22. Nick Denton
21. Nate Berkus
20. Andrew Sullivan
19. Greg Berlanti
18. Christine Quinn
17. Martha Nelson
16. Perez Hilton
15. Brian Graden
14. Rich Ross
13. Jodie Foster
12. The New York Times Gay Mafia
11. Scott Rudin
10. Peter Thiel
9. Marc Jacobs
8. Joe Solmonese
7. Jann Wenner
6. Andrew Tobias
5. Tim Gill
4. David Geffen
3. Anderson Cooper
2. Barney Frank
1. Ellen DeGeneres

Comments

[Alan A. Katz]

They included Andrew Tobias, but NOT Michelangelo Signorile?

They must not have Sirius radio. Shame.

[Cody]

Perez Hilton has no place on that list, that's ludicrous. Anderson Cooper is bi, yes, bi, and if he acknowledged that he's "gay", he'd be tarred and feathered later for admitting that he's "not". Enough with the labeling. There are a lot of straight people that have done much to advance gay rights. Don't they count for anything? As a bisexual, the gay gestapo makes me cringe. Frankly, it's disgusting. Take the gays and lesbians against defamation: they don't want anything said that's not pc about them, yet they can fry whomever they want, even those that champion them? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. And to think we wonder why we aren't further along with gay rights.

[Akeim]

Personally I'm tired of the whole bisexual str8 acting gestapo. Young people and people living in closets are unsure of them selves need role models who they can look up too. Not people who are ashamed of them selves. I personally love Anderson Cooper could care less is he was gay or straight the man reports the news. The only thing I would care is if we were dating did he treat me right. We aren't further in gay rights because people want to walk the line and have our fashion and shun our queens. We are all people.