Tammy Lynn Michaels (born Tammy Lynn Doring on November 26, 1974 in Lafayette, Indiana), also known by the surname Etheridge after marrying Melissa Etheridge, is an American actress. When Tammy Lynn Michaels was a teenager deep in the homophobic Midwest, she could not have imagined the divine contentment of her current life. Nightly she would implore God to make her straight. Like far too many GLBT teens, suicidal thoughts plagued her.

She poured her heart into journals, which she keeps to remind her of how far she’s come. At age 18, she left Lafayette, Indiana for New York City and acting conservatory school, ready to make her mark on the world. “My mom dropped me off and as she drove away, I said,
‘Okay, I’m going to be gay now.’”

Unfortunately, at one of her first attempts to be out, she had the Hollywood closet door slammed in her face. Not yet able to shed the fear of stepping out into the light, Michaels lived the classic double life.

I caught up with Michaels, three years out and three years in love, while she was in Tampa with wife Melissa Etheridge on tour. We chatted about those dark years, her lesbian bar-tending days, her new sit-com, married life and living life out in the open.

She married rock singer Melissa Etheridge on September 20, 2003. In April 2006, the couple announced that Michaels was pregnant with twins via an anonymous sperm donor. Michaels gave birth to daughter Johnnie Rose and son Miller Steven on October 17, 2006. She has two stepchildren, born to Etheridge's ex-partner, Julie Cypher, during their relationship; daughter Bailey and son Beckett, with sperm donated by musician David Crosby.

Since 2005, Michaels has kept a weblog, in which she discusses politics, current events and her personal life.

On April 15, 2010, Melissa and Tammy Etheridge confirmed that they have ended their nearly nine-year relationship.

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