Meredith Baxter of 'Family Ties' comes out as a lesbian

I first spotted this in the headlines at conservative lesbian Tammy Bruce’s blog. And I just added the tag, “There IS a God.”

Seriously, my heart is singing and I’m walking on air. And she is absolutely correct about what will ultimately win equality for homosexuals.

H/T also to Memeorandum.

Update, 12/2/09, Wed.: Several hours after posting this the thought came to me that I took for granted that my gentle readers would know something that it now occurs to me I can’t count on them knowing: Meredith Baxter was not straight for most of her life through three husbands and bearing five children and then suddenly somehow she was overwhelmed with teh gay and became a lesbian in her fifties. No — she was a lesbian all along, but it took her awhile to work that out and get the courage to be herself. Also, as an actress, she may have felt, or been advised, that being openly lesbian would have harmed her career. Because coming out and being openly lesbian does change your relationships — and can cost you your family, home and career — it takes a lot of self-confidence and courage. It is not unusual for women not to have the needed inner and outer circumstances to be openly lesbian until their thirties or later. Actress Kelly McGillis is another example of a woman who did not come out as a lesbian until later in life.

6 replies on “Meredith Baxter of 'Family Ties' comes out as a lesbian”

    1. reg,

      In “Queer as Folk,” the American version, Gale Harold as the character, Brian, had a wonderful line about the deceptions homosexuals are forced into by heterosexual prejudice and second-class citizenship: “It’s not lying when they make you lie.”

      Meredith Baxter worked as hard as anyone can to make themselves straight. The kind of destruction this causes to other people’s lives — especially to the spouses, who are not marrying someone who will be as emotionally and sexually engaged and responsive as a heterosexual spouse would be AND who will not be able to be honest about that, which will be crazy-making for the straight spouse — is one of the very best reasons for homosexuals to have full equality. That way, we can marry each other and live lives of integrity. Everyone wins.

      Cynthia

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