Anderson Cooper Proud of My Homosexuality: What a Blessing it is!

He may not have come out of the closet until last summer, but Anderson Cooper tells The Huffington Post in a new interview that he's never questioned his sexuality, not even when "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," Cooper says.

Moreover, the CNN host - who faced oral sex simulation from Kathy Griffin on New Year's Eve - think "being gay is a blessing" and he "couldn't be more proud" of his preference.

In 1988, Cooper's brother committed suicide - and Anderson opens up to the website about that event and how he links it to his sexuality.

“If you feel like an outsider, you tend to observe things a lot more," he said. "Early on I felt very much like an observer, because I knew I was gay, I knew I was somehow different.

"If you learn the language of loss early, I think you seek out others who have experienced the same thing, who speak that same language of loss."

GLAAD will honor Cooper on March 16 with the Vito Russo Award, an accolade given to a LGBT member who has made an effort to promote equality.

Sounds like it couldn't go to a more deserving individual.