2009 was when two actresses announced to the world that they are lesbians i.e. Meredith Baxter and Kelly McGillis. Here is what they have in common…

1) They were previously in heterosexual relationships where they became mothers.

2) They were in their fifties when they realized that they are lesbians.

3) Both were born in years ending in 7. Meredith was born in 1947 whereas Kelly was born in 1957.

4) They share the same Zodiac sign – Cancer.

5) What cements the connection between them is that 2009 was when they were on the same lesbian cruise ship.

On November 8, the ship (Norweigian Spirit) had set sail from New Orleans. The lesbian excursion, named Sweet Caribbean Cruise, also allowed for straight passengers to come on board. The ship made stops in Costa Maya, Cozumel, Mexico, Belize and Roatan, Honduras. The cruise lasted for 7 days. Symbolically, Meredith had been keeping her sexuality a secret for 7 years. Even more symbolic is that 2009 was when The L Word came to an end after six seasons of being on air. Tying in with the theme of this article, Kelly had appeared in two episodes of the penultimate season.

She had already played a lesbian in a 2000 remake of Basic Instinct (1992) titled The Monkey’s Mask. The remake served as a form of wish fulfilment for her because she wanted to star in Basic Instinct (whose screenwriter claimed that her screen test wasn’t very good). What cements the connection between the remake and The L Word is that both contain the works of a Baroque composer named George Frideric Handel. The film contained Lascia Chio Piangia whereas the series contained Water Music (in a Season 3 episode titled Left Hand of the Goddess).