Anderson Cooper on being gay: “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t aware of it, even before I knew what it was or the name of it”

Anderson Cooper is in Rome covering the election of a new Catholic Pope but found time to do an interview with Michelangelo Signorile.

He talks about receiving GLAAD’s prestigious Vito Russo Award to be presented to him later this month in NYC by Madonna.

The CNN anchor and daytime talk show host says the award has ‘tremendous meaning’ to him and comes less than a year since he came out publicly as a gay man.

“I certainly don’t think I’m worthy of it, but if it helps GLAAD and if it helps have more people know who Vito Russo is, then I think it is certainly worthwhile,” he says.

Of being gay he says: “I’ve always known I was gay from the time I was a little kid. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t aware of it, even before I knew what it was or the name of it.”

Of his decision to become a journalist: “If you feel like an outsider, you tend to observe things a lot more. Early on I felt very much like an observer, because I knew I was gay, I knew I was somehow different.”

Cooper also tells Signorile that “being gay is a blessing” and he that he “couldn’t be more proud.”