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Anderson Cooper shocked by Gloria Vanderbilt’s lesbian affair

CNN anchor says his mother’s revelation is ‘news to me’

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(Screenshot via People)

(Screenshot via People)

Gloria Vanderbilt dropped a bombshell on Anderson Cooper when she revealed she once had a lesbian affair.

During an interview with People, Vanderbilt told Editorial Director Jess Cage she had once been involved in a same sex relationship at 13 years old.

“What? Hello, this is news to me. You didn’t mention this in the book, mom,” Cooper says.

‘I went through a brief so-called lesbian relationship with a girl in school,’ Vanderbilt, 92, told People. “Cynthia, her name was, and she came once to visit my aunt in New York on holiday. We had this sort of lesbian relationship and it felt so great. It felt so good and yet I thought, ‘There’s something about this.'”

Cooper, 48, says Vanderbilt’s mother Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt was accused of being a lesbian during the 1932 custody trial over Vanderbilt.

“That word wasn’t spoken. The press wasn’t supposed to write about it,” Cooper says. “My mom knew that something terrible had come out in the court, but she didn’t know what it was and she didn’t know what being a lesbian meant at the time, obviously.”

Vanderbilt says the affair was before the trial, but she was still wary about her feelings.

“This is before the thing I knew about my mother,’ Vanderbilt says. ‘I thought, “No, this is something that’s not really what I want.” It was very brief.’

“I think almost everybody goes through at one point. Of course, the thing is, now we realize there’s no difference. Love is love,” Vanderbilt added.

Cooper also spoke about how his mother’s attitude about same-sex relationships encouraged him to come out to her. As a child, Cooper says his mother was friends with a gay couple who she described to him as married even though same-sex marriage was illegal at the time.

Cooper and Vanderbilt have written “The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son Talk About Life, Love and Loss,” a joint memoir together out in stores April 5. They will also star in the HBO documentary about their relationship “Nothing Left Unsaid” airing April 9.

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PHOTOS: The Audacity Brunch

2026 Capital Pride Honors presented at ‘Full Fuchsia’ ceremony

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The 2026 Capital Pride Honors were presented at The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia on Sunday, June 7. (Washington Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

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Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves

Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community

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(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.

The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.

This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.

For more details, visit the cemetery’s website

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Baltimore Pride is here

Parade, block party, festival planned for Maryland city

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A scene from last year’s Baltimore Pride. This year’s main events take place on Saturday and Sunday. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.

The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.

There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events. 

For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website

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