Just A Mom: Heartfelt Advice from a Mother Who Understands What It Means to Love and Support a Gay Child

by Betty DeGeneres

In her first book, Love, A Mother/Daughter Journey , Betty DeGeneres revealed the struggles of her own life and those of her famous daughter, TV and film actor Ellen DeGeneres. While most people knew the all-too-public saga of Ellen's professional and private coming-out odyssey, many did not know the hardship and triumphs that Betty went through trying to be the best possible mom to her daughter during what turned out to be one of the most historic events in gay and lesbian history. The lessons learned from that journey sent Betty into a whole new chapter of her own life. After Ellen came out, Betty became the official spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign (the first non-gay person to assume this position). Today she continues traveling the country far and wide in that role, talking to gay men and lesbians and their families and friends about the fear, rejection, abandonment, love, and acceptance they've experienced. At the end of Love, A Mother/Daughter Journey , Betty invited readers to send letters and communications to her with questions and stories about their own battles as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or straight human beings caught up in the fight for equal rights. The response was overwhelming. It frightened her. What could she possibly bring to all these moving, heroic, tragic, funny tales? After the initial shock subsided, Betty realized the She could give of herself. After all, that's what she'd been doing for years. For Ellen, for Anne Heche, for her son Vance, for the thousands of people she'd met on the road. To all of them she's simply offered what she knows her own supportive, kind, nurturing, strong life experiences and ever-evolving understanding as Just a Mom .

Betty DeGeneres is the author of Love, A Mother/Daughter Journey and mother of comedian Ellen DeGeneres. She is currently the spokesperson for the HRC Coming Out Project and an active member of PFLAG. She now lends her expertise to PlanetOut as an advice columnist on issues of coming out and acceptance.

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction

188 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

Betty DeGeneres (born Elizabeth Jane Pfeffer) is an American LGBT rights activist. She is the mother of Ellen and Vance DeGeneres and the first non-gay spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project[1] and an active member of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). She gained notability following her daughter Ellen's highly-publicized coming out in 1997.

Reviews

[Annburnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book about true stories told to Ellen DeGeneres mom about being gay and coming out to friends and family. There are many heartbreaking stories and many happy ones. She gives a good overview about many questions asked and understanding that everyone should have the same rights in this world whether they are man, woman, black, white or other ethnic group, or straight or gay. We should concentrate on loving one another instead of hating one another.

[Douglas Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

In which Ellen DeGeneres's mom dispenses gentle advice on parenting gay children and related topics. Her message is that, above all, children need parental love regardless of sexual orientation. Betty DeGeneres, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project, needn't say more than these seven beautiful words on rearing Ellen: "I loved her. I didn't label her." But she does. She goes on and on. Her last book (the bestselling Love, Ellen) was warm if not exactly gripping, and this is very similar. The homespun style makes readers feel as though cookies are just about to come out of the oven and that between batches the author is canning vegetables. What results is a likable, if bland, introduction to a politicized and sensitive topic. For an objective biography of the celebrity daughter, try Kathleen Tracy's Ellen: The Real Story of Ellen DeGeneres.

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[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not the intended audience for this book as a lot of the content was aimed at parents of gay children (I have no children!) but I have a lot of respect for Betty DeGeneres and find her writing thoughtful, reflective and genuine and wished to read this after reading her other book Love Ellen. I preferred Love Ellen but still found this a pleasant and quick read.

[Alfie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as her first "love ellen" but I always enjoy her perspective

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming & Comforting Read! I Loved It!