It's the Mother of all Days: Moms get love from AfterElton.com

*Note: This post originally ran on May 9th, 2008

You didn't think we'd go into Mother's Day weekend without paying tribute to those wacky ladies (real and otherwise) that gave birth to our fabulousness, did you?  If you can't surprise your Mom with Sunday brunch or a T-shirt with your face on it, be sure to call her/them and express your love and gratitude for raising such a fierce child. 

It is, after all, Mother's Day so just remember, kiddies ... without Mothers there'd be no frakkers; without Mamas there'd be no Mia's, and the most important lesson of all: those lovely ladies that brought you into this world can take you out just as easily (sorry, I had to), so celebrate them!

Sit back and relax as I honor some of my favorite real-life Moms, as well as those from television and movies that represent the good, the bad and the ugly of memorable mamas.

THE NEWBIE
Lily Van der Woodsen (Gossip Girl)

Gossip Girl's Lily Van der Woodsen is a complex character who wants to be a better woman, Mother and lover than her upper crust gal pals and family will allow and I currently heart her. Sure Lily will marry any Tom, Dick or Bart for their money and she'll go to great lengths to save face amongst the Upper East Side elite and yes, she had a mini-meltdown when evil Georgina outed her son Eric at the dinner table but she came around in the end! Kelly Rutherford has taken what could have been a one-note rich bitch and made her a woman to root for. PFLAG will never be the same.

THE SEMI-OLD PRO
Nora Walker (Brothers & Sisters)

Nora Walker meddles and occasionally messes with her children's lives but she's always best friend and supporter to her gay son Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) on ABC's Brothers & Sisters.  Sally Field is a powerful presence on screen and she can dominate the drama like no one else but she always let's her character live and breathe the world of her children (often to a fault) and she's really embraced Kevin's relationship and soon to be marriage to Scotty (played by Luke MacFarlane).  Nora could teach Lily a thing or two about patience and acceptance.

THE TRUE OLD PRO
Debbie Novotny (Queer as Folk - US)

Debbie (or PFLAG The Clown as my friend Armando likes to call her) could school all other Mother's on how to support your gay child and every fey friend that makes up his/her gay gang.  She's been crazy involved in her son Michael's (played by the adorable Hal Sparks) social and sex life so if you have questions on which gay clubs to haunt or which lube works best she's your go-to-gal.  Debbie does the gays proud and I salute her efforts and enthusiasm in grounding the sometimes outrageous Queer as Folk.

THE LEGEND
Anne Bancroft (Torch Song Trilogy's Ma Beckoff | Home For The Holiday's Adele Larson )

Anne Bancroft played two of the most memorable Gay Movie Moms from two of my favorite films with gay characters. In the classic Torch Song Trilogy she was the conflicted, confused, and sometimes pain in the ass Ma to Harvey Fierstein's Arnold Beckoff. In the end she realized that no matter how you raise them, sometimes kids really do "come that way."  In Jodie Foster's Home For The Holidays, she was the Mom most in need of a Silkwood shower and a neurotic nag to her gay son Tommy (Robert Downey Jr.) but she was never anything but amazing.  Rest In Peace Anne Bancroft (1931-2005).

THE ASS KICKER
Sandra Gangel (Beautiful Thing)

Sandra's the kind of woman that's not afraid to stand up to an abusive Father, knock out a whacked out Mama Cass lovin' neighbor, and encourage her gay son to make his own kind of music. Linda Henry's multi-layered performance in Beautiful Thing has always forced me to stand up and cheer.  She's funny, intense, and ruthless but encouraging and nurturing to not only her gay son Jamie but his teenaged lover Ste.  The final scene of the film is one of endless hope and utopia made even more amazing by Sandra's fearless efforts to accept her son.

THE COUPLE (Part 1)
Rosie O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter

Rosie O'Donnell has worn many hats in her career but today we honor her for being an out and proud parent (with partner Kelli Carpenter) of four children: Parker, Blake, Chelsea and Vivienne.  When she's not fighting with Donald Trump and Elisabeth Hasselbeck or vlogging, she's fighting for same-sex adoption rights and promoting diversity amongst families with her R Family Cruises.  This summer she'll participate in the second annual True Colors tour.

THE COUPLES (Part 2)
Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels

Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels embody what the vows "in sickness and health" mean and for this I love them. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, the couple have been very public about their love, support, and the importance of their children. Prior to meeting Michaels, Etheridge had two children with partner Julie Cypher (Bailey and Beckett) and she has twins with Tammy Lynn (Miller and Johnnie). They're a power lesbian couple if I've ever seen one.

THE MIRANDA
Cynthia Nixon

Cynthia Nixon has been a fave of mine since Little Darlings and she won me over as Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City but she's probably most proud of her role as Mom to her two children, Samantha and Charles. Her fight with breast cancer and her relationship with Christine Marinoni has almost been a non-issue as she's tried to focus on being healthy and happy instead of being a lesbian icon. This just in ... Sex and the City: The Movie comes out May 30th and I can't wait!

THE TRAILBLAZER
Judy Shepard (Matthew Shepard's Mother)

After the murder of her gay son Matthew in 1998, Judy Shepard (along with husband Dennis) created The Matthew Shepard Foundation. Dedicating her life to the spirit of her son, Judy fights for social justice and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people everywhere and is an inspiration to everyone she encounters on her mission to eradicate hate crimes. This year she launched The Campaign To Erase Hate to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of her son's death.

THE MOTHER(S) OF DAN
Kathy ("Kath") | Sheila ("Wicked Witch Step-Bitch")

I couldn't end this post without giving my Moms a shout out. No, I don't have lesbians for parents - I just have the very traditional Mom and Stepmom scenario. I cannot thank my Mom (Kathy) enough for encouraging me to be different and an individual (and for letting me watch General Hospital with her when I was a wee little thing). She has embraced and welcomed my partner Jon into our family without hesitation or criticism and that means the world to me. My favorite story about my Stepmother Sheila goes back to my coming out. After I mustered up all the courage in my little body to tell them I was gay, her reaction was pure gold: "Duh, it's about time!" They'd been expecting it since I hit puberty so it was a comedy of errors the night I finally came out. I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the women out there with children and to all those that have played "Mother" to the millions of gay teens left feeling unwanted or less than after coming out to their families.  Take the time this Mother's Day to celebrate family, diversity, and strong women in the best way you see fit.

Share your well wishes to the Moms in your life and don't forget to tell us who your favorite gay loving Moms are. Have a great weekend, boys!