Former Family Ties star Meredith Baxter revealed to Matt Lauer on NBC's Today that she is gay, saying: "I am a lesbian and it was a later-in-life recognition. Some people would say, well, you're living a lie and, you know, the truth is - not at all. This has only been for the past seven years."
The actress, who has five children has been married three times, came out publicly because she wanted the story to be "in her own words," despite being a very private person. She stated that even though she views publicly coming out as very personal, it is a "political act," and she hopes that by being openly gay, she will be helping to gain rights for gay and lesbian Americans. She claims, "If anyone knows someone who's gay or lesbian…they're less likely to vote against them to take away their rights. I can be that lesbian you know now."