Betty DeGeneres Biography

Betty DeGeneres is an American LGBT rights activist and former speech therapist. She gained fame as the mother of popular TV host Ellen DeGeneres. Betty DeGeneres was born into an ordinary family and had a normal upbringing. She studied speech therapy before getting married. DeGeneres has two children, Ellen and Vance. Ellen changed her outlook toward life and brought her to the forefront of social rights activism. Ellen, who is homosexual, disclosed her sexual orientation to her mother. Although it came as a shock for DeGeneres, she was quick to support her daughter. She became a solid supporter of lesbian rights. DeGeneres is the first non-gay spokesperson for the ‘National Coming Out Project’ of the ‘Human Rights Campaign.’ DeGeneres is actively involved with the group ‘Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.’ She has authored two books, ‘Love, Ellen: A Mother/ Daughter Journey’ and ‘Just a Mom.’ Through these books, she detailed the difficulties that she faced when she came to know about her daughter’s sexual orientation and how she overcame those issues. DeGeneres has appeared in few TV series, too. She appears regularly on her daughter’s show, ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’