Did it make a difference when CNN's Anderson Cooper came out of the closet on Monday?

The anchor for "Anderson Cooper 360" said he was gay in an email to The Daily Beast's Andrew Sullivan, which Sullivan posted on his blog, The Dish, with Cooper's permission. Here is an excerpt from Cooper's email, via The Dish:

I've also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand. The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.

This inspired a debate online Monday about whether prominent journalists coming out, and being out, still matters. The National Lesbian Gay Journalists Association said in a blog post, "It's important to remember that while there has been a number of journalists who have come out on national television in the last few years, the numbers are low enough that you can count them on your fingers and still have fingers left to text."

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