换点口味，来点激励人心的同志议题。
苹果的执行长 Cook 终于公开出柜了，来看看他动人的演说。
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-30/tim-cook-im-proud-to-be-gay
Tim Cook Speaks Up
By Tim Cook October 30, 2014
Throughout my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain a basic level of
privacy. I come from humble roots, and I don’t seek to draw attention to
myself. Apple is already one of the most closely watched companies in the
world, and I like keeping the focus on our products and the incredible things
our customers achieve with them.
在我的职业生涯中，我一直尝试保有最基本的隐私。我出身低微，也不愿受到他人关注
。苹果已经是世界上最受关注的企业之一，我希望能持续将焦点放在我们的产品，以及
顾客们借此体验到的不可思议感受。
At the same time, I believe deeply in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King,
who said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you
doing for others?’
但与此同时，我深信马丁‧路德‧金恩博士（Dr. Martin Luther King）曾说过的话：
“人生中最长存却迫切的问题就是：‘你为他人做了什么？’”
I often challenge myself with that question, and I’ve come to realize that
my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something
more important. That’s what has led me to today.
我经常这样问自己，然后我渐渐了解我对个人隐私的渴望，阻挡了我去做更重要的事。
这就是驱使我今天这么做的原因。
For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation.
Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a
difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the good fortune to
work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only
flourish when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is so lucky.
这些年来，我曾向很多人公开我的性向。许多在苹果的同事都知道我是同志，这似乎并
不影响他们对待我的方式。当然，我是非常幸运能够在这家热爱创意与创新的公司工作
，因为它知道只有拥抱人与人之间的差异才能蓬勃发展。但并非每个人都如此地幸运。
While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it
either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider
being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.
我从未否认过我的性向，但也从未公开承认过，直到现在。现在，让我明白地承认：我
很骄傲我是个同志，而且我认为做为一个同志是上天赐予我最好的礼物之一。
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.
身为同志让我更了解身为少数意味着什么，这也让我有机会了解少数族群日常生活中面
临了什么挑战。这令我更能同理他人，以丰富我的人生。虽然有时感到艰难与不适，但
它给了我信心，让我做自己、走自己的路，以及克服逆境与偏见。它同时也让我能不畏
惧外界的攻击－－尤其当你成为苹果执行长的时候，这就派上用场了。
The world has changed so much since I was a kid. America is moving toward
marriage equality, and the public figures who have bravely come out have
helped change perceptions and made our culture more tolerant.
这世界变化得如此巨大，已经与我小得时候不一样了。美国正在迈向婚姻平权，而那些
勇敢出柜的公众人物们也帮助改变了人们的观念，使我们的文化更加地宽容。
Still, there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow
employers to fire people based solely on their sexual orientation. There are
many places where landlords can evict tenants for being gay, or where we can
be barred from visiting sick partners and sharing in their legacies.
Countless people, particularly kids, face fear and abuse every day because of
their sexual orientation.
不过，大多数州的法律规定，仍允许雇主仅因为性向差异而解雇员工。在许多地方，因
为是同志，房东就能驱赶承租人；或因此禁止对伴侣的探病与继承。无数的人们－－尤
其是孩子－－每天都得因为他们的性向，而活在恐惧与霸凌之中。
I don’t consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I’ve benefited
from the sacrifice of others. 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.
我并不认为我是个同运人士，但我明白我从其他人的牺牲中享受了多大了利益。所以，
如果听说苹果的执行长是同志，能帮助人们更坦然地面对他们自己、为感到孤单的人们
带来慰藉，或激励人们继续坚持人生而平等。那么，这值得我以自己的隐私交换。
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.
我得承认这并不是个轻松的选择。隐私对我仍然重要，而我也希望我能保有一点隐私。
I’ve made Apple my life’s work, and I will continue to spend virtually all
of my waking time focused on being the best CEO I can be. That’s what our
employees deserve—and our customers, developers, shareholders, and supplier
partners deserve it, too.
我已将苹果视为我毕生的工作，我将持续压榨我醒著的每一分时间，尽我所能专注成为
最好的执行长。这是我们的员工应得的，也是我们的客户、开发者、股东、供应伙伴应
得的。
Part of social progress is understanding that a person is not defined only
by one’s sexuality, race, or gender. I’m an engineer, an uncle, a nature
lover, a fitness nut, a son of the South, a sports fanatic, and many other
things. I hope that people will respect my desire to focus on the things I’m
best suited for and the work that brings me joy.
社会进步的部分象征就是，人们理解到一个人并非仅由他的性向、种族或性别定义的。
我同时是工程师、叔叔、大自然好者、南方人、运动迷，还有许多其他的身分。我希望
人们能尊重我的意愿，关注我最合适并能带给我快乐的工作就好。
The company I am so fortunate to lead has long advocated for human rights and
equality for all. We’ve taken a strong stand in support of a workplace
equality bill before Congress, just as we stood for marriage equality in our
home state of California. And we spoke up in Arizona when that state’s
legislature passed a discriminatory bill targeting the gay community.
我荣幸能够带领这家长期提倡人权与平等的公司。在国会面前，我们已经对职场平等法
案采取了强烈的支持立场，如同我们在公司总部的加州支持婚姻平权一样。而我们也在
亚利桑那州通过同志歧视法案时，提出抗议。
We’ll continue to fight for our values, and I believe that any CEO of this
incredible company, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, would
do the same. And I will personally continue to advocate for equality for all
people until my toes point up.
我们将持续为我们的价值奋战；而我也相信，所有担任这家不可思议公司执行长的人都
会这么做，无论他的种族、性别或性向。我个人也将继续为所有人的平等权发声，直到
我的生命终结。
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.
每天早上当我进到我的办公室，我都能看到相框中金恩博士与小甘迺迪的照片。我并不
妄求撰写这篇文章就能与他们并列。这一切只是为了让我看这些照片时，知道我正在做
我所能做的部分，无论这对他人的帮助是多么的渺小。
We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick.
我们正一砖一瓦地铺设迎向阳光与正义的康庄大道。
This is my brick.
这是我的这一块砖。
Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple.