Navigating the holidays as an LGBTQ+ person—especially in religious families—can be incredibly stressful!

In this holiday edition of You Can Be Both, host Lauren Lanzaretta shares practical tools, responses, and boundary-setting strategies to help LGBTQ+ people of faith protect their peace during difficult family gatherings.In this episode, we talk about how to handle awkward or triggering conversations, religious judgment, pronouns being ignored, political tension, and questions about faith, church, or identity.

Lauren draws from her own experience growing up evangelical, coming out later in life, and navigating loving—but theologically different—relationships with Christian parents.

You’ll learn:

• How to emotionally prepare before going home for the holidays

• Why changing minds at the dinner table isn’t the goal—and what is

• Boundary-setting responses that are firm, kind, and non-combative

• How to respond to offensive or triggering questions without escalating conflict

• When to disengage, redirect, or remove yourself for your own well-being

• Ways to preserve relationships without abandoning yourself

• How LGBTQ+ Christians can honor both faith and identity during the holidays

This episode is for LGBTQ+ people navigating family rejection, religious trauma, evangelical Christianity, deconstruction, or the tension of wanting connection without sacrificing authenticity.

You are not alone. You are whole. You can be both.

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