As a gay man, I feel as though that any kind of person coming out is a step in the right direction. Although I agree with the commenter in many ways, I do think that as more different kinds of gay people come out- the more mundane "being gay" will be seen in greater society. It will give the sense that gay people come in many forms: rich, famous, successful, poor, etc. In the future, we may even reach a point where people think you are just mentioning it for attention. We obviously aren't there yet, though. And I think this is where the frustration for some of us comes from. I identify as gay cis male- and I'm openly out to my friends and family. But "coming out" is not a process that ends the first time you do it. You have to eventually come out to every one you (at least) associate closely with. Now, nobody is by any means obligated to reveal their sexuality in the workplace. But straight people have nothing to lose when they mention their partner in casual conversation. Gay people might have to lie, give the runaround or be honest and ready to deal with the potential consequences. Ultimately that is part of the problem. As a 21 year old who is just starting out in the workforce, I can't afford to come out to my boss or coworkers. I don't have the luxury of affirming my sexuality in the work environment- because discrimination against gays is still very much a relevant issue (whether it is overt or not). There is no doubt in my mind that had Tim Cook come out earlier in life, he most likely would not be in the same position that he is in today. He has the ability to say he is proudly gay because it doesn't matter at this point- he's the fucking CEO of Apple. He's untouchable. He's got nothing to lose- unlike myself. I'll have to wait until I reach a certain age or status where I know I can comfortably be out at work. It is for this reason that I respect someone less privileged being out at work more. They don't have the so-called safety net that Tim Cook has.
Ultimately it comes down to this: Tim Cook has money in the bank, right now, billions and billions of dollars that, even if he WERE to face the heaviest repercussion anyone can face for being openly gay in the workforce in 29 states of the US (termination), is just sitting there. Apple doesn't own it - it's all his payroll. He's literally set for life, and probably has been for a majority of his tenure as CEO. I do not have this luxury. I don't have a bank account (due in part to the large amount of debt I already owe staring me in the face), and I live paycheck to paltry paycheck, indefinitely. When framed this way, I think one would be very, very hard pressed to tell me Tim Cook coming out at work and me coming out at work is at all even remotely the same damn thing with similar or, lord, more things at stake for him!
The goal is humanizing gay people. That's the importance of coming out. You need to come out to people you can trust and people whose opinions you can change and you as a tiny, unimportant person probably need to be careful. At this point Tim Cook coming out isn't very important or brave. Ellen Page, maybe, because she's not a very stereotypical lesbian and is even a bit wholesome, girl next door. The Cook story just shows that it's less and less of a big deal every time this happens with a public figure. Every time some random person comes out it could be 1000 times braver, and even more important, than a celebrity, it's just not news. There's no angle for public interest or spectacle and there doesn't need to be for little courageous acts to be important.