Hot Topic (12/3): Did she decide to be a lesbian?

[Cafe GroupAdmin]

Family Ties's Meredith Baxter: 'I'm a Lesbian Mom'

By Blaine Zuckerman

Wednesday December 02, 2009 08:15 AM EST

 

 

Meredith Baxter (seated) with her twins Mollie and Peter and partner Nancy Locke

 Most people know Meredith Baxter as Elyse Keaton, everyone's favorite mom from the hit '80s sitcom Family Ties. But now the actress reveals to PEOPLE that she's ready for the world to see her in a different - and surprising - way: "I'm a lesbian mom," she says.

Before Baxter, 62, first started dating women seven years ago, the thought of being gay "had never crossed my mind," she tells PEOPLE. Having been in three failed marriages to men (most famously to actor David Birney), she says of her many difficult years before coming out, "I was never comfortable with myself." But she's quick to add, "That doesn't mean I was questioning."

Now in a four-year relationship with building contractor Nancy Locke - the couple have lived together for two years - the actress, who continues to act and run a skincare company, says, "I feel like I'm being honest for the first time."

Baxter was open about her new-found identity almost immediately with her five kids. Her son Peter's reaction, like that of his siblings, was both reassuring and supportive. "I just couldn't stop smiling," says Peter, 25, "because she finally figured it out."

* * *

Is sexuality a choice? 

Or genetic?

Or somewhere in between?

What do you think?

[stormcris]

For some, it is a choice I think. There are those who just one day decide they want to be with the same sex. There are others that were born with that desire.

[Goodwoman614]

Who cares if it's genetic or chosen?  Who cares who somebody loves?  Nobody else's business.  Nobody else's say-so.  Nobody else is living their life for them.  Anybody loving another person of the same sex is not hurting anybody else.  It is not infringing on anybody's rights.*

Oh yeah.  Unless you're a follower of some book or whatev that proclaims it wrong.

*The same cannot be said of certain ppl of "faith."  They think ppl loving other ppl of the same sex is their business and seek to insert themselves in the lives of gay ppl in all of the above ways, and more.

[mmtosam06]

this i knew a woman she was a former boss of mine who could tell you that on her hubby's side of the family it skips a generation because thats how her hubby's side of the fam is one gen straight next gen gay

Quoting stormcris:

For some, it is a choice I think. There are those who just one day decide they want to be with the same sex. There are others that were born with that desire.

[rosepetal209]

I think some are born that way but others choose to be. Its at a very young age that we are either attracted to boys or girls. If a girl is attracted to girls from the start then Id have to say they are born that way but when a girl is attracted to boys for 20 or 30 or 40 years and then 'suddenly' finds other women attractive I cock my eyebrow a little. You dont just wake up at 50 years old and say "Oh thats whats been wrong the whole time.......I like other women". You always know, deep down, what you are attracted to even if you "pretend" to be straight for fear of what others will think

And that opinion is not based on the fact that I happen to believe in one of "those books" that teaches that being gay is wrong. The question posted was

Is sexuality a choice? 

Or genetic?

Or somewhere in between?

What do you think?

My answer is I think it is both genetic and chosen. 

[athenax3]

Quoting Goodwoman614:

Who cares if it's genetic or chosen?  Who cares who somebody loves?  Nobody else's business.  Nobody else's say-so.  Nobody else is living their life for them.  Anybody loving another person of the same sex is not hurting anybody else.  It is not infringing on anybody's rights.*

Oh yeah.  Unless you're a follower of some book or whatev that proclaims it wrong.

*The same cannot be said of certain ppl of "faith."  They think ppl loving other ppl of the same sex is their business and seek to insert themselves in the lives of gay ppl in all of the above ways, and more.

This...I just simply don't care who people love or why- if they're happy, I'm just going to be happy for them.

[teddysmom08]

Sexuality is a choice.

[miss146mn]

What if it's just that she was born Bi-sexual, and society and the way she was raised caused her to be more comfortable with her attraction to the opposite sex.  So later in life she's able to come to terms with her attraction to BOTH sexes. 

Quoting rosepetal209:

I think some are born that way but others choose to be. Its at a very young age that we are either attracted to boys or girls. If a girl is attracted to girls from the start then Id have to say they are born that way but when a girl is attracted to boys for 20 or 30 or 40 years and then 'suddenly' finds other women attractive I cock my eyebrow a little. You dont just wake up at 50 years old and say "Oh thats whats been wrong the whole time.......I like other women". You always know, deep down, what you are attracted to even if you "pretend" to be straight for fear of what others will think

And that opinion is not based on the fact that I happen to believe in one of "those books" that teaches that being gay is wrong. The question posted was

Is sexuality a choice? 

Or genetic?

Or somewhere in between?

What do you think?

My answer is I think it is both genetic and chosen. 

[trippyhippy]

You forgot to type the words "I think" before your statement because your opinion is definetley not fact.

Quoting teddysmom08:

Sexuality is a choice.

[Bubby_LeilaBug]

Quoting teddysmom08:

Sexuality is a choice.

I disagree!

[cherry41089]

I think your born with it and it just takes some one a while to realize their gay cuz their raised to fall in love with the opposite sex. So they ignore the feeling that are there