Apple CEO Tim Cook tops Out Magazine’s Power List for third year, despite not being ‘out’

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Apple’s Chief Executive, Tim Cook, has topped the Power List for US magazine Out for the third year in a row, despite not being openly gay.

Mr Cook has continually been named the magazine’s list of the most influential LGBT people in the United States, despite never speaking about his sexuality. When he was appointed as Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook was dubbed the ‘most powerful gay in Silicon Valley’.

Mr Cook was not the only person who is not openly gay to find themselves on the list. Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is ranked at number eight, while US media mogul mogul Barry Diller is placed at number 12.

Despite listing people who are not open about their sexuality in its list, Out’s editor Aaron Hicklin said: “I think one of the most phenomenal things in American society is that the argument for being in the closet is being eroded by progress, and it seems increasingly arcane – to a lot of people – for a public figure to be in the closet.”

The magazine listed Anderson Cooper before he came out. This year it ranks him in fifth place. Despite coming out at the Golden Globes, Jodie Foster was not included in the magazine’s list.

The list in full:-

50. RuPaul Charles, 
Actor/Producer/Author, 52


49. Perez Hilton, 
Blogger/TV personality, 35
48. Jason Goldberg & Bradford Shellhammer
, Fab.com founders, 41 and 36
47. Simon Halls & Stephen Huvane, 
Founders, Slate PR, 49, 52
46. Megan Smith
, Google Executive/Inventor, 48
45. Dan Savage
, Editor/Activist/Author, 48
44. Robert Hanson, 
CEO, American Eagle Outfitters, 50
43. Dustin Lance Black, 
Screenwriter/Activist/Producer, 38
42. Clive Davis
, Sony Music Executive, 81
41. Evan Wolfson
, Founder and President, Freedom to Marry, 56

40. Jane Lynch
, Actress, 52
39. Nick Denton
, CEO, Gawker Media, 46
38. Jenna Lyons
, President and Executive Creative Director, J. Crew, 44
37. Mary Kay Henry, 
International President, SEIU, 55
36. Annise Parker
, Mayor of Houston, 55
35. Jann Wenner
, Publishing Magnate, 67
34. Bryan Singer, 
Director/Writer/Producer, 47
33. Jeremy Bernard
White House Social Secretary, 51
32. Ken Mehlman
, Businessman, Political Strategist, 46
31. Tom Ford
, Fashion Designer/Film Director, 51

30. Kevin McClatchy, 
Newspaper Chain Chairman, 50
29. Bryan Lourd & Kevin Huvane, 
Managing Partners, CAA, 52, 54
28. Suze Orman
, TV Host/Author/Financial Advisor/Entrepreneur, 61
27. Chuck Wolfe
, CEO, The Victory Fund, 50
26. Tim Gill
, Software Pioneer/Philanthropist, 59
25. Harvey Levin, 
TV Producer/TMZ Founder and Managing Editor, 62
24. Andrew Sullivan, 
Columnist, 49
23. David Geffen
, Media Mogul, 70
22. Anthony Romero, 
ACLU Executive Director, 47
21. Matt Drudge
, Drudge Report Creator/Editor, 46
20. Christine Quinn
New York City Council Speaker, 46
19. Marc Jacobs
, Fashion Designer/Creative Director, 50
18. Martha Nelson, 
Editor in Chief, Time Inc., 60
17. Scott Rudin, 
Film and Theatre Producer, 54
16. Chad Griffin
, HRC President, 39
15. Mark Takano | David Cicilline | Jared Polis, 
Congressmen
14. Andy Cohen
, TV Executive/Host, 44
12. Barry Diller, 
Chairman and Senior Executive, IAC/InterActiveCorp, 71
13. Neil Patrick Harris, 
Actor, 39
11. Chris Hughes
, Facebook co-founder and Publisher of The New Republic, 29
10. Frank Ocean
, Musician, 25
9. Tammy Baldwin
, Senator, 51
8. Shepard Smith
, News Anchor, 49
7. Peter Thiel
, PayPal co-founder and Facebook investor, 45
6. Nate Silver
, Statistics Guru, 35
5. Anderson Cooper, 
CNN presenter, 45
4. Rachel Maddow
, MSNBC presenter, 40
3. Ryan Murphy
, Writer/Director/Producer, 47
2. Ellen DeGeneres, 
TV presenter, 55
1. Tim Cook
, CEO, Apple, 52