The talk show host and former judge Harvey Brownstone discusses his memoir Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge (ECW Press, 2026), with Joseph Planta.

Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge by Harvey Brownstone (ECW Press, 2026). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Without Prejudice

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.  

Harvey Brownstone joins me again. The talk show host and former judge recently published his memoir Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge. It was a bestseller and will soon be a major motion picture. The book recounts an often tumultuous but sometimes hilarious childhood where he was bullied often brutally, and rejected by his parents when he came out to them. The book talks about how Harvey coped, as well as how he made it through law school, becoming a distinguished judge, that included many personal accomplishments including innovations of the justice system like reforming Ontario’s child support enforcement program, which he narrates in the book. The book is full of great stories, but it’s how Harvey survived and thrived that makes this book such an uplifting read. There are often sad stories in Harvey’s life but they can become comical in the hands of a skilled storyteller. It’s no wonder this story will be a movie shortly, which I’ll get Harvey to preview. We meet his parents, and read of the estrangement that followed when his mother Odette, a larger-than-life character if there ever was one, couldn’t accept Harvey’s homosexuality. As Harvey says in the book, a lot of what helps is success, and that he’s had. It was a meteoric rise from practicing law to getting appointed to the bench. He was the first sitting judge to write a bestselling book and host a national television show. That book incidentally was Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles, and the Bitter Realities of Family Court, which was also a bestseller, and which he first appeared on the program with in 2009. Upon his retirement about five years ago, he decided to fulfill a longtime wish and become an interviewer. His program Havery Brownstone Interviews is a popular stop for celebrities, authors and other prominent individuals. Visit www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com for more. The book is published by ECW Press. We spoke last week, with Harvey joining me from Toronto. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Harvey Brownstone; Mr. Brownstone, good morning.  

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