Ellen DeGeneres' mom is not afraid to call it like she sees it, and she sees anti-gay advocates as bullies.
Betty DeGeneres, a gay rights activist and the 82-year-old mother of the superstar comedian, thinks those who do not support same-sex marriage are guilty of bullying.
"It's all bullying," she told the Sydney Morning Herald about the fight against same-sex marriage. "I'd love to get a message through to your Prime Minister. Maybe she should pay attention to what's going on in the United States right now! A lot of people are gonna find out they were on the wrong side of history. Marriage equality will be okay."
She also explained that bullying comes many forms.
"My friend, a retired English teacher, 92, said to me: 'Ellen was bullied.' I thought quickly back to her school days. She didn't come out til after high school and she wasn't bullied at school," Betty continued. "But my friend said when Ellen came out on her sitcom and all the advertisers pulled out and she lost her show, that was bullying. By the ones who had more power.''
After Ellen came out as gay in the 1997 "puppy episode" of her sitcom, "The Ellen Show," she faced backlash from the likes of evangelist Pat Robertson and even received death threats.
"You know Ellen is such a good person," her mother previously told ABC. "Now, I don't want to get weepy, I don't, but she's so good that she shouldn't have all this directed at her."
These days Ellen and Betty are championing same-sex marriage as the Supreme Court debates the fate of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman -- and Proposition 8 -- California's same-sex marriage ban.
Earlier this month Ellen posted a message on her blog, urging the Supreme Court to allow gay couples to marry.
Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don’t think we hurt anyone else’s marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they’re fine ... I hope the Supreme Court will do the right thing, and let everyone enjoy the same rights. It’s going to help keep families together. It’s going to make kids feel better about who they are. And it is time.
Betty is currently in Australia with Ellen and Portia DeRossi, where Ellen is spending six days filming segments for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."