By Lee Pfeiffer
The field of prominent show business people who are coming out of the closet just got a bit more crowded with Meredith Baxter's announcement that she is a lesbian. Baxter's career soared in the 70s and 80s playing All-American Girls and mothers on shows like Bridget Loves Bernie and the long-running Family Ties. After three marriages and five children, however, Baxter had an affair with a woman she didn't really love. Although she still didn't think of herself as a lesbian, she was intrigued enough to continue dating women - though one of her ill-fated marriages occurred in the interim. Baxter's coming out was due, in part, to her being recognized on a lesbian cruise that she took with her partner. Although she had come out to her family years ago, she decided to beat the tabloids to the punch and give straight talk about her life as a gay woman. She discussed the topic on The Today Show and in an interview with the gay lifestyle publication The Advocate. Click here to watch her on Today. Click here to read the interview.