Put a sock in it ANDERSON COOPER—BETTY WHITE’S been supporting gay rights for decades because her stepdaughter is a card carrying lesbian and damn proud of it!
The 90-year-old former “Golden Girls” star was married to “Password” host Allen Ludden from 1963 until his death in 1981, and she helped raise his three children after his first wife passed away.
Betty remains very close to his youngest daughter Sarah – a 59-year-old sixth-degree black belt karate champion who runs a martial arts studio in Chicago with her partner of more than 20 years, Nancy Lanoue, 60.
“Sarah is like a daughter to Betty. They talk on the phone frequently and Betty often visits Sarah and Nancy in Chicago,” a family friend told The ENQUIRER.
“Seeing how much Nancy has enriched Sarah’s life has given Betty a wonderful view on marriage equality. She thinks it’s terribly unfair that her stepdaughter is refused the civil right to marry her longtime partner when so many heterosexual couples marry and divorce every day.”
Betty spelled out her views on gay rights in a 2010 interview, saying: “I don’t care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time – and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I think it’s fine if they want to get married.”
The source added: “Betty cares deeply for Sarah, and her dream would be to see Sarah marry Nancy in her lifetime. Betty will keep pushing to legalize gay marriage until her last breath.”
