Mother’s (s’) Day Gift Ideas By and For Lesbian Moms—and Our Moms

There’s absolutely no reason Mother’s (s’) Day gifts for lesbian moms have to be “lesbian” themed. Flowers, breakfast in bed, an assortment of bath salts, a dual-speed cordless drill—all are perfectly appropriate no matter what mom’s orientation, as long as they are something she’d like.

Still, for those of you wanting something a little more lesboriffic, here are some ideas for your mom, your co-parent, or for your kids to get you:

• If you are of the cooking-for-mom ilk (whether you are cook or eater), try Iron Chef and lesbian mom Cat Cora’s Cat Cora’s Kitchen: Favorite Meals for Family and Friends. Alas, her Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist: Fresh Takes on Favorite Dishes isn’t out till June, but you can pre-order.
• Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Custody Movement, documents the lesbian mothers of the early 1970’s who fought for the rights of their own families. In the process, they set precedents and founded institutions that still impact us today. My full review is here. (Available directly from distributor, not from Amazon.)
• Melissa Etheridge’s new album, Fearless Love (CD). She’s a lesbian. She’s a mom. Many of us spent our coming out days listening to nothing but her. Also available as an MP3 download for less than half the price. (Amazon.com special; not sure how long it will last.)
• I mentioned this in my previous post, but it bears repeating: And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents, and Our Unexpected Families, edited by Susan Goldberg and Chloë Brushwood Rose, is a wonderful collection of essays that explore the perspectives of those who have used a known donor, those who have themselves donated sperm or eggs or been a surrogate, and the children created by these acts. It’s a great read on modern families, no matter how you created yours. My full review is here.
• Who’s Your Daddy?: And Other Writings on Queer Parenting, ed. Rachel Epstein, is another great collection of essays. The nearly 40 pieces from LGBTQ parents and our adult children across every letter of the spectrum offer personal, historical, and political insights and raise tough questions about parenting, gender, and society. It has still not been published in the U.S., but you can get it from the Canadian Women’s Press or Chapters.indigo.ca, or from a few independent booksellers on Amazon.
• Wanda Sykes made her comedy album Sick & Tired (CD; explicit) before she came out and became a mom, but that doesn’t mean the funny has faded. (MP3 download.)
• Ellen DeGeneres isn’t a mom, but her mother Betty has written much about her own journey to acceptance and activism on behalf of her daughter, first in Love, Ellen: A Mother/Daughter Journey and then in Just a Mom, where she offers advice to others who have written to her. (Both books were written in Ellen’s pre-Portia days, but Betty’s advice still rings true.)

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