Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo is the Member of Provincial Parliament of Parkdale – High Park. Cheri is known as the “Queen of tri-party bills” for tabling the most bills in the Legislature that have all three parties’ support.  Cheri has also passed more Private Member’s Bills than any other opposition MPP on record. Cheri was voted NOW Magazine’s Best MPP for 2015, her second time winning the title. She is an ordained United Church Minister with a long history of activism for the LGBT community beginning in 1971 when she was the only woman in Canada to sign the historic “We Demand” document, Canada’s first gay rights manifesto.  While working as a Minister for the United Church she wrote “Qu(e)erying Evangelism: Growing a Community from the Outside In” which won the Lambda Award in Washington DC. She also performed the first legalized same sex marriage in North America. In 2012, she authored the historic Toby’s Law, which amended the Ontario’s Human Rights Code to include gender expression and gender identity making Ontario the first jurisdiction in North America to recognize both. She also played a key role in Bill 13 fighting for GSAs to be allowed in all schools. In 2015, Cheri’s Banning Conversion Therapy Bill, which banned so-called conversion therapy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children, passed in 8 weeks. She is also the author of Cy and Ruby’s Act, which makes parental recognition easier for queer parents. Cheri has received the Community Hero Award from Jer’s Vision, the Rainbow Health Advocate Award from Rainbow Health Ontario, the History Maker Award from Brockville Pride and the PFLAG Ally Award, presented by Rosie O’Donnell.

Quotes by Cheri DiNovo from WomenTalk:

“Lois talked about Central America and South America a little bit. You know that liberation theology started here in Canada.We don’t know that either. We don’t know our own faith history. Ben Smillie of Social Gospel grew out of the Prairies and it was exported to South America – it didn’t start there. Claim our history. Claim our strengths. Show them to the world. My God – the world desperately, desperately needs them.”

“Tibetans have done an incredible amount of social justice work. They have been successful where many other groups have not. Remember there’s not very many of them and they’re standing up against China who invaded their country. How do they do it? They do it by practising non-violent resistance. I’ve been lucky to have met His Holiness Dalai Lama many, many times. But mainly what inspires me are the Students for a Free Tibet – are these young people who learn about social justice, passive political resistance. That is non violent. They learn this. That’s how they grow up. They are incredibly effective on the world stage at putting their point across…There’s no question that we, Christians, will see the promised land. What are we doing to get that promised land here faster not just for us but for everyone?”