Kristy McNichol, the ultimate lesbian icon for many, is now literally a lesbian icon—she's officially come out of the closet. "Buddy" from Family tells People she's decided to be open about being with her partner Martie Allen for the past two decades in response to stories about bullying. She wants "to be open about who I am."

The casual nature of the photo and the low-key announcement makes this feel like a decision of conscience more than of commerce, the latter of which I'm not against but which sometimes bums out others who are critical that stars wait till a certain age then release a book to coincide with coming out.

Great news that she's through with the glass closet—this is going to tickle to death a lot of women around my age.