Peter Thiel cheered at Republican convention after declaring 'I am proud to be gay'

Peter Theil declares that he is gay at the Republican National Conention
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, who made his fortune as a PayPal cofounder and as an early investor in Facebook, paid homage to American business and technology leadership at Thursday's Republican National Convention. He also criticized Hillary Clinton, saying we don't need to see Clinton's emails to know that her "incompetence is in plain sight." But Thiel, whom Gawker publicly outed in 2007, also made history at a Republican presidential convention, telling the people in Quicken Loans Arena: "I am proud to be gay, I am proud to be a Republican, but most of all, I am proud to be an American." The crowd cheered, which is historical in its own way.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.