Saturday, January 07, 2012

Kristy McNichol Comes Out Officially

Yet another well know TV star of the past has come out of the closet officially. The newest person joining Meredith Baxter in being open and honest about herself is Kristy McNichol, the Emmy Award winning teen star of the 1970s that many people remember from the drama Family. Some will say what's the point of a former star coming out years after their principal years of fame have past. It's a valid question and I think the response is that with each coming out by a celebrity past or present it helps demolish the lies and stereotypes that the enemies of LGBT equality so love to disseminate. The less that LGBT people can be referred to as some theoretical "other" or generic "gays," the sooner we'll see the death of discrimination and anti-gay bullying outside of pockets of Christofascists and the professional Christian set. It's far more difficult to hate and support discrimination against people that you know as neighbors, friends or even an actor that you enjoy/enjoyed. Here are some highlights fro People Magazine:

Kristy McNichol has been out of the public eye for 20 years. Now she's chosen to come out – to try to help kids who are being bullied.

McNichol, 49, who has lived with her partner Martie Allen, also 49, for the past two decades, decided to make a statement about her sexuality and share this photo because she is "approaching 50" and wants to "be open about who I am."

She "is very sad about kids being bullied," her publicist Jeff Ballard tells PEOPLE. "She hopes that coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different."

Best known for her Emmy Award-winning role as Buddy Lawrence in the '70s show Family and later as Barbara Weston in Empty Nest, McNichol left it all behind when she dropped out of Hollywood to focus on her health.

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