Tim Cook makes 'substantial' donation to help gay rights in Alabama

Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook has made a "substantial" donation to a gay rights effort in his native Alabama and two other southern U.S. states

The money from the 54-year-old highest-profile U.S. business leader to publicly acknowledge being gay, will go to Project One America, which aims to build acceptance for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in the US, the Independent reported.

The initiative, which is run by the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, was first launched in April.

Human Rights Campaign founder Chad Griffin wrote in a blog post "Thanks to his generous personal financial investment in the program, together we will move the needle forward at the local and state level, tearing down misperceptions and providing concrete protections for those who need it most."

Cook, who came out in October in a magazine column, writing that he considers being gay among the greatest gifts God has given him, had earlier said that under the law, citizens of Alabama can still be fired based on their sexual orientation, adding that they can't change the past, but they can learn from it and we can create a different future.