Different Daughters 3 Ed: A Book by Mothers of Lesbians - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1573441279 ISBN 13: 9781573441278

Publisher: Cleis Press, 2001

Synopsis

Coming out to mom is a lesbian rite of passage. In Different Daughters, thirty mothers of lesbians come together to trace their journeys towards acceptance of their daughters. Facing their fears and confusion, prejudice and misunderstandings, they speak honesty and bravely about the difficulties and joys of life with their "different daughters."

Writing about families, community, religion, grandchildren, bisexuality, transgender issues, and coming out, the authors of Different Daughters raise questions shared by all mothers: How can we accept our children for who they are? How can we love our children even when they are different from us?

This updated and expanded third edition of Louise Rafkin's landmark anthology includes new stories by mothers of bisexual women and young lesbians, a sister of a lesbian, and the brave testimony of one mother whose lesbian daughter is in the process of redefining her gender.

About this title

Review:

Among the watershed books for lesbians in past fifteen years, Louise Rafkin's Different Daughters provides support for the rainbow notion that love is what makes a family. When the book first appeared in 1987, there were very few resources for the parents of gays and lesbians, and even the best-intentioned parent could end up confused and angry after a trip to the Sexual Deviance section of the public library. Revised and expanded to include a few more contemporary issues like transgenderism, bisexuality, and gay parenting, these 30 brief memoirs by mothers of lesbians will comfort any mother who worries that her daughter will never be happy, or find a long-term, stable love, or be accepted by those around her. Even hostile parents can find some reassurance here in stories about mothers who were at first horrified by their daughters' lesbianism and have struggled to achieve an uneasy peace with them. A wonderful gift, especially for mothers of lesbians who are newly out of the closet.--Regina Marler

About the Author:

Louise Rafkin is the author of Other People’s Dirt and the editor of Different Mothers. She has been a commentator for NPR's All Things Considered and has written for Out Magazine. Her articles and essays appear frequently in the New York Times, Health Magazine, and Metropolitan Home. She lives in Oakland, CA.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cleis Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1573441279
• ISBN 13: 9781573441278
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 162
• Editor: Rafkin Louise