MINKOWITZ, Donna 1964-

PERSONAL:

Born 1964.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Brooklyn, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

CAREER:

Journalist, author, and activist. Village Voice, New York, NY, reporter.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Lambda Literary Award, 1998, for Ferocious Romance.

WRITINGS:

Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me about Sex, God, and Fury, Free Press (New York, NY), 1998.

SIDELIGHTS:

Well-known as a lesbian activist and a Village Voice reporter, Donna Minkowitz caused a stir when she began writing about "crossing over" to the other side, through clandestine visits to right-wing organizations and events, such as the Promise Keepers rally, which she infiltrated disguised as a man. In Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me about Sex, God, and Fury, Minkowitz "tours the political and religious crucible in which her own identity has been forged. She reveals how two decades of fiery clashes between the religious right and the gay rights movement have shaped and scarred her imagination and sexuality," explained Hans Johnson in the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review. Through visits to charismatic church services, ex-gay ministries, and Total Woman Ministries, which provides both spiritual salvation and makeup tips, Minkowitz provides a tour of the fringes of the Christian right. At the same time, her stories of a Sex Panic! meeting of gay activists in Manhattan and her own exploration of lesbian sado-masochism reveals another fringe, and provides a chance for Minkowitz to discuss the strange bond she feels with Christian extremists. While questioning the impressionistic nature of the writing, a Publishers Weekly reviewer found that Minkowitz "brings a refreshing lack of rancor and an appealing openmindedness" to her encounters with the religious right.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Minkowitz, Donna, Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me about Sex, God, and Fury, Free Press (New York, NY), 1998.

PERIODICALS

Advocate, March 2, 1999, Robin Podolsky, review of Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me about Sex, God, and Fury, p. 67.

Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review, March 31, 1999, Hans Johnson, "Behind Enemy Lines," p. 55.

Library Journal, October 1, 1998, Jeffery Ingram, review of Ferocious Romance, p. 122.

Publishers Weekly, November 2, 1998, review of Ferocious Romance, p. 60.

Village Voice, November 3, 1998, Blanche McCrary Boyd, review of Ferocious Romance, p. 149.*