Locals support Cooper's announcement

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - CNN anchor and host of his own talk show, Anderson Cooper wrote a letter announcing his sexuality earlier this week, and members of the Hampton Roads gay and lesbian community are praising his decision to come out.

"He's very well respected, and I think that people see him as a role model and that's a good thing in terms of someone struggling with coming out, who may feel alone and may feel like they don't have good role models and he'll be a great role model," Stacie Walls-Beegle said.

The 46-year-old anchor said he doesn't want his personal life to get in the way of his job as a journalist.

WAVY's David Culver spoke one-on-one with Cooper last year .