換點口味，來點激勵人心的同志議題。
蘋果的執行長 Cook 終於公開出櫃了，來看看他動人的演說。
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.
在我的職業生涯中，我一直嘗試保有最基本的隱私。我出身低微，也不願受到他人關注
。蘋果已經是世界上最受關注的企業之一，我希望能持續將焦點放在我們的產品，以及
顧客們藉此體驗到的不可思議感受。
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?’
但與此同時，我深信馬丁‧路德‧金恩博士（Dr. Martin Luther King）曾說過的話：
「人生中最長存卻迫切的問題就是：『你為他人做了什麼？』」
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.
我經常這樣問自己，然後我漸漸了解我對個人隱私的渴望，阻擋了我去做更重要的事。
這就是驅使我今天這麼做的原因。
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.
這些年來，我曾向很多人公開我的性向。許多在蘋果的同事都知道我是同志，這似乎並
不影響他們對待我的方式。當然，我是非常幸運能夠在這家熱愛創意與創新的公司工作
，因為它知道只有擁抱人與人之間的差異才能蓬勃發展。但並非每個人都如此地幸運。
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.
我從未否認過我的性向，但也從未公開承認過，直到現在。現在，讓我明白地承認：我
很驕傲我是個同志，而且我認為做為一個同志是上天賜予我最好的禮物之一。
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.
身為同志讓我更瞭解身為少數意味著什麼，這也讓我有機會了解少數族群日常生活中面
臨了什麼挑戰。這令我更能同理他人，以豐富我的人生。雖然有時感到艱難與不適，但
它給了我信心，讓我做自己、走自己的路，以及克服逆境與偏見。它同時也讓我能不畏
懼外界的攻擊－－尤其當你成為蘋果執行長的時候，這就派上用場了。
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.
這世界變化得如此巨大，已經與我小得時候不一樣了。美國正在邁向婚姻平權，而那些
勇敢出櫃的公眾人物們也幫助改變了人們的觀念，使我們的文化更加地寬容。
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.
不過，大多數州的法律規定，仍允許雇主僅因為性向差異而解雇員工。在許多地方，因
為是同志，房東就能驅趕承租人；或因此禁止對伴侶的探病與繼承。無數的人們－－尤
其是孩子－－每天都得因為他們的性向，而活在恐懼與霸凌之中。
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.
我並不認為我是個同運人士，但我明白我從其他人的犧牲中享受了多大了利益。所以，
如果聽說蘋果的執行長是同志，能幫助人們更坦然地面對他們自己、為感到孤單的人們
帶來慰藉，或激勵人們繼續堅持人生而平等。那麼，這值得我以自己的隱私交換。
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.
我得承認這並不是個輕鬆的選擇。隱私對我仍然重要，而我也希望我能保有一點隱私。
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.
我已將蘋果視為我畢生的工作，我將持續壓榨我醒著的每一分時間，盡我所能專注成為
最好的執行長。這是我們的員工應得的，也是我們的客戶、開發者、股東、供應夥伴應
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.
社會進步的部分象徵就是，人們理解到一個人並非僅由他的性向、種族或性別定義的。
我同時是工程師、叔叔、大自然好者、南方人、運動迷，還有許多其他的身分。我希望
人們能尊重我的意願，關注我最合適並能帶給我快樂的工作就好。
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.
我榮幸能夠帶領這家長期提倡人權與平等的公司。在國會面前，我們已經對職場平等法
案採取了強烈的支持立場，如同我們在公司總部的加州支持婚姻平權一樣。而我們也在
亞利桑那州通過同志歧視法案時，提出抗議。
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.
我們將持續為我們的價值奮戰；而我也相信，所有擔任這家不可思議公司執行長的人都
會這麼做，無論他的種族、性別或性向。我個人也將繼續為所有人的平等權發聲，直到
我的生命終結。
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.
每天早上當我進到我的辦公室，我都能看到相框中金恩博士與小甘迺迪的照片。我並不
妄求撰寫這篇文章就能與他們並列。這一切只是為了讓我看這些照片時，知道我正在做
我所能做的部分，無論這對他人的幫助是多麼的渺小。
We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick.
我們正一磚一瓦地鋪設迎向陽光與正義的康莊大道。
This is my brick.
這是我的這一塊磚。
Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple.