Just A Mom: Heartfelt Advice from a Mother Who Understands What It Means to Love and Support a Gay Child (An Advocate Book) - Hardcover

9781555836139: Just A Mom: Heartfelt Advice from a Mother Who Understands What It Means to Love and Support a Gay Child (An Advocate Book)
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
In her first book, Love, Ellen: 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, Ellen: 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 answer: 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 best: her own supportive, kind, nurturing, strong life experiences and ever-evolving understanding as Just a Mom.

Betty DeGeneres is the author of Love, Ellen: A Mother/Daughter Journeyand 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.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
To her surprise, Betty DeGeneres, once a quiet housewife and mother, has become a gentle, consistent, and rational voice in the gay liberation movement. In Just a Mom, she speaks for all the ordinary Americans whose children have turned out "different" and whose first concern is that they will suffer pain and rejection in life. It is natural, DeGeneres points out, to harbor some disappointment or anger at a gay child, and she guides parents toward appropriate resources and organizations, like the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). With warmth and conviction, DeGeneres expands on her memoir Love, Ellen to address some of the questions she has been asked as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, such as "Did I make my child gay?" and "How can I protect my child?" She makes some practical suggestions on how to handle homophobia and threats at school, and how to help build self-esteem in a child whose peers may ridicule him. And she argues on the enormous personal and societal benefits of coming out of the closet. But this is not so much a practical guide to keeping a child safe or combating hatred as a simple, homey, and reassuring recitation of what we all know--or should know: good parenting means unconditional love and support. --Regina Marler
About the Author:
Betty DeGeneres is the author of Love, Ellen and the mother of actresses Ellen DeGeneres and her life partner Anne Heche. She is a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Day Project and an active member of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. She writes an advice column for Planet Out on issues of coming out and acceptance.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherAlyson Books
  • Publication date2000
  • ISBN 10 1555836135
  • ISBN 13 9781555836139
  • BindingHardcover
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages188
  • Rating

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

DeGeneres, Betty
Published by Alyson Books (2000)
ISBN 10: 1555836135 ISBN 13: 9781555836139
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GridFreed
(North Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Seller Inventory # SDBOX1425-DB10292020-32

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 13.95
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.45
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

DeGeneres, Betty
Published by Alyson Books (2000)
ISBN 10: 1555836135 ISBN 13: 9781555836139
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_1555836135

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 22.53
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

DeGeneres, Betty
Published by Alyson Books (2000)
ISBN 10: 1555836135 ISBN 13: 9781555836139
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think1555836135

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 26.63
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

DeGeneres, Betty
Published by Alyson Books (2000)
ISBN 10: 1555836135 ISBN 13: 9781555836139
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
The Book Spot
(Sioux Falls, SD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks428302

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 59.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

DeGeneres, Betty
Published by Alyson Books (2000)
ISBN 10: 1555836135 ISBN 13: 9781555836139
New Hardcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
BennettBooksLtd
(LOS ANGELES, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.85. Seller Inventory # Q-1555836135

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 59.98
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.13
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds