Anderson Cooper Thanks Fans for Support, Chely Wright Calls Him 'Inspiring'

Anderson Cooper is grateful for the outpouring support coming from fellow celebrities and journalists as well as fans alike. The Silver Fox tweets, "I appreciate all the nice tweets. I am in Botswana working but want to wish everyone a great 4th of July!"

He got congratulation and words of encouragement from Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Kathy Griffin among others. Most recently, he was praised by Chely Wright, who came out as gay two years ago.

The country music singer called the way the CNN anchor addressed his sexuality in a letter to the Daily Beast "perfectly Anderson." She gushed when appearing on "CBS This Morning", "I think it's perfect the way he did it." She added, "I think he gave a genuine response."

"Andrew Sullivan reached out to him, said 'do you have comments on this article?' And he gave a genuine response and said, 'And by the way, share this with your readers.' I don't think in any way it was a cowardly move, a sneaky, get-it-under-the-radar-on-a-holiday-weekend."

"I thought it was just a real genuine, human response to a question asked, and I think, you know, I'm certainly - I can't say what Anderson Cooper thinks, but I would imagine that at some point recently, he probably said to himself, 'Why am I not out? Why haven't I not done this? OK, I'll just do it'."

Wright, who married her girlfriend Lauren Blitzer in summer 2011, continued, "We know there's not been a more fierce advocate for anti-bullying measures and efforts than Anderson Cooper. No one doubted that he was for us. Now everyone knows that he is us."

To CNN, she once again sang her praise, "I'm happy about Anderson (coming out) and that he didn't allow himself to be a whisper. It's inspiring. I hid for 16 years of my career. It became worth it to hide - until it is not worth it anymore."

She hit the rock bottom in 2006, and made the decision to come out a year later. "From the day that I officially came out, on May 4, 2010, many people that had been fans aren't anymore. My mother did not take it well at all and we don't speak, and that was a cost," she opened up.

She didn't regret it though. "My whole objective in coming out was to challenge the stereotypes," she stated. "Change and equality only happens when people stand up and identify. No civil rights movement has ever been progressed on a whisper."

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