Anne Heche had a miserable childhood, says Alex Witchel in The New York Times Magazine. Until she was 12, the actress was repeatedly molested by her father, an evangelical Christian and closeted bisexual who gave her herpes as an infant. He later died of AIDS. After many years of therapy, Heche called her mother to confront her about the abuse. But her mother conceded nothing; by then, she had become a Christian therapist who specialized in teaching gays how to overcome their homosexuality. “Jesus loves you, Anne,” her mother said, and hung up on her. Heche, now 40, understands her mother’s denial. “I had a mother whose whole life was based on not looking around or knowing anything. The person in the bubble says, ‘This is the only bubble I’ve ever known, and I don’t want out.’” It’s that same impulse, Heche thinks, that led her mother to proselytize against gays. “That she is attempting to change gay people into straight people is, in my opinion, a way to keep the pain of the truth out. It is no mistake that she still stands up against love. And one wonders why I’m not rushing to have her meet my children.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.