newjerseynewsroom.com

Kristy McNichol, who played the adorable, skateboard-riding tomboy Buddy Lawrence in the late 1970s TV show “Family,” made a public announcement that she hopes consoles gay youngsters having to deal with bullying.

She’s a lesbian.

McNichol, who will turn 50 in September, "hopes that coming out can help kids who need support," her publicist told People magazine, as was reported in the Los Angeles Times. "She would like to help others who feel different."

The two-time Emmy Award-winning former child star gave the magazine a picture of herself and her partner of 50 years, Martie Allen. She is the second actress from “Family” to admit her homosexuality. Meredith Baxter, who played her older sister on the show, announced that she is a lesbian in December 2009.

McNichol is enjoying retirement from acting, now spending her free time doing yoga and playing tennis when she isn’t traveling, CBS News reported.

But her life hasn’t always been so tranquil. She suffered from depression and other emotional problems, and endured rumors of drug abuse.

She told People in 1989 that her troubles were simply a delayed reaction to the pressures of being a child star, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“From the time I was very young," she told People in ’89, the Times reported, "I was a professional, making money and assuming responsibilities. I didn't live the life of a child. I was living the life of a 30-year-old."

She starred in another TV show, “Empty Nest,” from 1988 to 1992, when she left the show after being diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. She returned for the show’s final episode in 1995.

—JOE GREENE, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM