Meredith Baxter Had A Secret...but not anymore!

MEREDITH BAXTER CAME OUT, TODAY...on THE TODAY SHOW!
There had been a tease, a bit earlier on The Today Show, with the tag-line saying "Meredith Baxter reveals a secret."
I falsely assumed it must be something negative, or shameful, as that is what we usually associate with secrets.It was however, a secret filled with joy, and positivity, and gladness.....
Matt Lauer was trepidatious, saying, "Uh, do you want me to say it? How are we doing this?"
Meredith Baxter quickly blurted out,"I am a lesbian."
Matt gave a gentle smile and a nod of his head and said, "Okay, then."
Meredith Baxter, the woman I always longed to look like: Beautiful, blonde, with bright blue eyes, she played Alex Keaton's(Michael J. Fox) Mom on the iconic "Family Ties" series in the 1980's. I also recall her as the young, lovely, hilariously funny Meredith Baxter-Birney when she was married to David Birney(anyone remember "Bridget Loves Bernie" the rich Irish-Catholic girl vs. poor Jewish husband comedy in the 1970's?).
Ms. Baxter has been married three times, and has five children.
"I thought I was a bad picker, and I was...but it wasn't them, though they[the men she married] had issues...it was me."
She told Matt Lauer on The Today Show, that she went to her step-dad(her mother had died the year before) and said simply, "I date women." and he replied just as simply, "I do, too."
Her children, including her twin girls, have been immensely supportive. Her 42-year-old son claimed he "knew all along".
She is now partner to Diane, and recently took a cruise with 1200 other lesbians. When asked if she is happy, Ms. Baxter replied she is now "extraordinarily happy".
"I'm told this is a political act, even though it doesn't feel that way to me; I'm a very private person....I'm the same woman...but if I can be the 'lesbian you know', maybe it will mean you will think about rights for gay people..."
I think you rock, Meredith!!!
I'll be posting several entries later today, and catch all of you up on the "Queer Creativity" day I attended post-AQLF(Atlanta Queer Literature Festival, several Sundays ago),and an update on the most recent "Franklin Abbott and Friends" at Outwrite Books and More, three Tuesdays ago, as well.
And I hope everyone had a blessed and bountiful Thanksgiving. I was in Florida, visiting family for nearly a week, and it was grand!
Peace, kids.

TROY ANTHONY DAVIS GIVEN A STAY!!!!!
Less than two hours before his scheduled execution, Troy Anthony Davis was given a stay of one week, so that the Georgia Supreme Court can decide whether to hear his case, or not.
Please continue to pray that Troy Davis will receive clemency, and that his conviction will be overturned.
Thank you to all of you who wrote, as I asked you to, in my previous post. I've written the governor again, just to say THANK YOU for the stay that has been granted. As Al Sharpton said at approximately 5:15 P.M. on Tuesday,, "One week may not sound like very long, but when you are scheduled to die, two hours is a lifetime."
The MacPhail family(the family of police officer Mark Allen MacPhail who was murdered) may not see it right now, but this will be a victory for justice for them, too. Surely they want the person RESPONSIBLE for this heinous act to be convicted and sentenced to life in prison.No justice is served, and no memory of Officer McPhail is honored when an innocent man is condemned.

On a much much lighter note, Clay Aiken has come out as GAY! I know you're really shocked right now, but it's true. He'll be featured on the cover of People magazine, and info will be available on what exactly he's shared, beginning at 7:00 A.M., on Wednesday.
It is admirable that he's (finally!) open about his sexuality. It's important, because it is part of who he is, and hiding his sexuality means sending the message that he is somehow ashamed, or unhappy with himself. It hurts all of us, when anyone LGBT lies about who they are.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Clay Aiken conceived a child in vitro with a 50-year-old female friend's help. Reportedly, Aiken has said his reason for coming out is that he is now a father: "I don't want to lie, and hide things from my son....."
If that son is helping him to come to terms with who he is, then I say great!
Peace, kids.