The Queer Evangelist: A Socialist Clergy's Radically Honest Tale

by Cheri DiNovo, Kathleen Wynne (Foreword by)

Overview

A queer minister, politician and staunch activist for LGBTQ rights, Cheri DiNovo went from living on the streets as a teenager to performing the first legalized same-sex marriage registered in Canada in 2001. From rights for queer parents to banning conversion therapy, her story will inspire people (queer or ally) to not only resist the system—but change it.

In The Queer Evangelist, Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo (CM) shares her origins as a young socialist activist in the 1960s, and her rise to ordained minister in the ‘90s and New Democratic member of provincial parliament. During her tenure representing Parkdale-High Park in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2006 to 2017, DiNovo passed more LGBTQ bills than anyone in Canadian history.

She describes the behind-the-scenes details of major changes to Canadian law, including Toby’s Law: the first Transgender Rights legislation in North America. She also passed bills banning conversion therapy, proclaiming parent equality for LGBTQ parents, and for enshrining Trans Day of Remembrance into Ontario law. Every year on November 20th in the legislature, the provincial government is mandated to observe a minute of silence while Trans murders and suicides are detailed.

Interspersed with her political work, DiNovo describes her conversion to religious life with radical intimacy, including her theological work and her ongoing struggle with the Christian Right. Cheri DiNovo's story shows how queer people can be both people of faith and critics of religion, illustrating how one can resist and change repressive systems from within.

“Living on the street, using drugs, abandoned by the adults in her life, all while identifying as ‘queer’ in a hostile world—any one of these things could have unravelled many of us. Cheri hauled herself up and not only survived but thrived. I love that this strong, brilliant, competent woman has told her story so honestly.” —Kathleen Wynne, former premier of Ontario

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771124898
Publisher:	Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Publication date:	05/11/2021
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Cheri DiNovo grew up in Toronto in a rooming house owned by her parents and spent time on the streets as a teenager, leading to her to social activism. Formerly a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, she is host of The Radical Reverend Show, and Minister at Trinity St. Paul's Centre for Faith Justice and the Arts. Her book Qu(e)erying Evangelism: Growing a Community from the Outside In won the Lambda award in 2005. She has won numerous awards for her activism and is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Kathleen Wynne was Premier of Ontario from 2013 to 2018.

Table of Contents

Foreword Kathleen Wynne xiii

Prologue: Bernice and the Biblical Two-Step 1

Part I Surviving and Becoming

1 Queer Evangelism and a Little Girl 7

2 The Revolution 19

3 Teenage Trotskyist 25

4 Getting Kicked on Route 66 29

5 Que(e)rying Parenthood 37

6 Casino Capitalism 41

7 An Atheist Goes to Church 47

8 Survivor 53

Part II Life after Death

9 Some of the Women I've Loved 59

10 Rural Life 71

11 Bright Lights, Big City 77

12 You Only Think You Want a Revolution 87

13 The Beast's Belly 95

14 Wage Against the Machine 105

15 Sheroes 115

16 When Church and State Reply 123

Part III The Traces Not Left Behind

17 The Letter Always Arrives 135

18 How to Get Laws Passed with Little. Power 139

19 Speaking Out for PTSD and First Responders 149

20 Girls and Women 155

21 All Creatures Great and Small 163

22 Political Chaplaincy 169

23 The Radical Reverend 173

24 Queer Critic 179

25 In Recovery 185

26 Forever the Young Radical 195

Epilogue: Just Do the Impossible 207

Appendix: A Statement from the Honourable Tracy MacCharles regarding the Reverend Doctor Cheri DiNovo 211

Editorial Reviews

03/29/2021

Minister and former Canadian legislator DiNovo blends left-wing politics and religion in her excellent debut memoir. Growing up in an unstable home in Toronto during the 1950s, DiNovo became addicted to methamphetamines before getting involved in radical politics, kicking her drug addictions, and beginning a career as a corporate recruiter. She thought of herself as a lesbian despite having relationships with both men and women—including a marriage to a man that resulted in two children before his death in a motorcycle accident. A surprise call to religion during a visit to a nondenominational Christian church upended her career. She enrolled in seminary, accepted an assignment with the United Church of Canada in a small town, and later reinvigorated a declining Toronto congregation with a free meal service for the homeless. She won a grueling political campaign for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and shares the difficult work of advancing progressive legislation that expanded gay rights and increased the minimum wage. She returned to ministry in 2017, claiming “leaving politics is like getting clean from methadrine.” In the end, DiNovo believes her life story exemplifies how “waves of feminisms and womanisms and queernesses” have expanded Christianity in positive ways. DiNovo’s remarkable life story serves as an impressive example of the possibilities of the religious left. (May)

Publishers Weekly

What a life! From street kid to church minister to politician and back, Cheri Di Novo fights for social justice and equality all the while practicing compassion and honesty even in electoral politics. An astonishingly honest life story told by an extraordinary person who breaks boundaries wherever she is. A brutally honest picture of the life of a socialist politician who is making change within the system, combined with an eye opening vision of progressive queer feminist Christianity, The Queer Evangelist will challenge your assumptions whatever they are. – Judy Rebick, author of Heroes in My Head

Judy Rebick

Cheri DiNovo has lived an incredible journey. She's been a street kid, a Sixties rebel, a doctor in ministry, a Reverend and one of the most influential socialist parliamentarians in Canadian history. A tireless revolt against the injustice of status quo runs through her life like an unbroken thread. She tells her story rapidly and with good humor. She never loses you, and you can seldom put the book down. This is essential reading not just for those interested in queer and socialist histories but for anyone who wants a riveting, humane tale of a woman who decided that the oppressed should make their own history.

— Arash Azizi, author of The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran's Global Ambitions

Arash Azizi

I’ve long admired Cheri DiNovo as an intrepid, passionate, inspiring activist, but I had no idea she had such an intriguing life story. From her early days growing up in an eccentric, matriarchal family, to her teen years dabbling in street life, drugs, and politics, to her transformation into an effective rebel against the establishment, The Queer Evangelist is a riveting tale. And through it all, her insight and her quest to make the world a better place comes shining through.

— Linda McQuaig, journalist & author

Linda McQuaig

Living on the street, using drugs, abandoned by the adults in her life, all while identifying as ‘queer’ in a hostile world—any one of these things could have unravelled many of us. Cheri hauled herself up and not only survived but thrived. I love that this strong, brilliant, competent woman has told her story so honestly. ”

—Kathleen Wynne, former premier of Ontario

Kathleen Wynne

"A deeply powerful memoir from one of Canada's most courageous feminist activists. An instructive tale on the perseverance of unapologetic activism from a woman who has dedicated her life to creating justice, through activism, spirituality, and politics. Canadian activists can all benefit from DiNovo's frank, sharp and generous retelling of a spirit born to create social change."

– Sandy Hudson, Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter–Canada

Sandy Hudson

"Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo's book The Queer Evangelist tells an insightful tale of trauma, identity and perseverance. It does an exceptional job of tackling intergenerational issues such as violence, homophobia, and religious exploration. DiNovo's riveting personal anecdotes mixed with in-depth analysis about hot-button social issues make this memoir a must-read."

Broadview Magazine