If you're LGBTQ+ and Christian, you've probably experienced religious trauma—rejection from church, kicked out of ministry, told you're going to hell, or living a double life hiding who you are. You're not alone, and you're NOT broken.

I read dozens of stories from LGBTQ Christians daily, and the pain from Church abuse is heartbreaking but the healing is REAL. This episode is for every gay, lesbian, bi, trans, or queer person who still loves God but has been wounded by His people.

💔 REAL LGBTQ STORIES SHARED:

• Trans woman forced into military by parents, sexually assaulted, then fired from school job for being trans

• Sunday school teacher excommunicated after 10+ years of faithful service—just for coming out

• Gay Catholic altar boy standing next to a priest who says LGBTQ people belong in mental institutions

• Christian educator living a double life, hiding her identity to keep her job

• I was personally excluded from part of my mission trip to Thailand for being gay (even though I was closeted at the time)

📊 THE 3 THINGS WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH:

1. Rejection, judgment, and harm from the church

2. Reconciling faith and LGBTQ identity ("Can I be fully myself AND fully Christian?")

3. Long-term emotional/mental health trauma (anxiety, depression, shame)

✝️ THE TRUTH:You are NOT worse than anyone else. You're covered by God's grace. Being LGBTQ is NOT a sin. You deserve love, dignity, and a place in the church. God is NOT ashamed of you.

🌈 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

✓ Why religious abuse happens to LGBTQ people in churches

✓ How to heal from spiritual trauma and shame

✓ The connection between LGBTQ rights and the Civil Rights Movement

✓ Why allies matter and how they can help

✓ Bible verses for the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18, Matthew 11:28)

✓ Homework: Do something just for you and God this week

💡 KEY MESSAGES:

• The church has weaponized 6 Bible verses against LGBTQ people

• Kicking someone out of ministry for being gay is religious abuse—period

• LGBTQ people are NOT more dangerous, perverted, or spiritually corrupt

• You can't "pray away" being gay—it ends in exhaustion and crisis

• Manifesting yourself out of shame doesn't work—community and healing do

🏳️‍🌈 YOU ARE NOT ALONE: This community is resilient. You didn't walk away from God even after how His people treated you. That's powerful. And God sees you, loves you, and is walking with you every single day.

📚 RESOURCES:

• LGBTQ Healing & Resource Guide: https://www.laurenlanzaretta.com/youcanbeboth

• Submit your story: https://bit.ly/49G1tpz

⏰ TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - You Are Not Alone

2:30 - Take a Breath: You're Covered by Grace

7:00 - Trans Woman's Heartbreaking Story

10:30 - Sunday School Teacher Excommunicated

12:25 - Why Being Gay Doesn't Disqualify You

15:10 - Living a Double Life at Work

17:20 - MLK & the LGBTQ Movement

23:30 - Gay Catholic Altar Boy's Pain

25:30 - The 3 Things We ALL Struggle With

31:00 - Hope is Still Present33:00 - Bible Verses for Healing

35:00 - Prayer for the LGBTQ Community

💬 COMMENT BELOW:Which story resonated with you most? What's YOUR experience with church and being LGBTQ? Let's heal together.

👍 If this helped you feel less alone, please like and subscribe. New episodes every Sunday at 11 AM.

🔔 Turn on notifications so you don't miss future episodes.You can be LGBTQ. You can be Christian. You can be BOTH. 🏳️‍🌈✝️

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#LGBTQ #GayChristian #Religioustrauma #ChurchHurt #LGBTQFaith #GayAndChristian #TransChristian #QueerFaith #ChristianLGBTQ #ReligiousAbuse #LGBTQHealing #AffirmingChurch #ProgressiveChristianity #LGBTQCommunity #FaithJourney #YouCanBeBoth #GayPride #LGBTQSupport #ChurchTrauma #SpiritualAbuse #LGBTQRights #QueerChristian #BiChristian #TransRights #LGBTQAcceptance #ChristianHealing #LGBTQTherapy #AffirmingTheology #GodLovesYou #LGBTQPodcast

Why do I call myself a "gay Christian"? Is it wrong to identify as LGBTQ+ and a person of faith?

In this episode, I tackle one of the most controversial questions in the Christian LGBTQ community: Can you identify as both gay AND Christian without compromising your faith?

Many Christians argue we should find our identity solely in Christ, but does that mean we have to deny who we are? In this episode, I break down:

✅ The difference between IDENTITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, and DESCRIPTORS

✅ Why sexual orientation is NOT a sin and what the Bible REALLY says about homosexuality

✅ The truth about those "6 clobber passages" and how they've been mistranslated

✅ Why the word "homosexual" wasn't even in the Bible until 1946

✅ How coming out of the shadows and living authentically strengthens your faith

✅ What it means to truly find your identity in Christ while being honest about who you are

This episode is for anyone struggling to reconcile their LGBTQ+ identity with their Christian faith. Whether you're in the closet, recently out, or supporting someone on this journey—this message is for you.

📖 RESOURCE: Download my 51-page healing guide for LGBTQ+ people of faith: https://www.laurenlanzaretta.com/youcanbeboth

💬 STRUGGLING? Email me or leave a comment—you're not alone in this journey.

👍 If this message resonated with you, give it a thumbs up and share with someone who needs to hear this.

🙏 PRAYER: At the end of this episode, I pray over everyone listening who's been rejected by the church, family, or friends. God loves you, is proud of you, and your identity is secure in Him.

📅 New episodes every Sunday at 11 AM!

Follow us on on TikTok and Instagram: @YouCanBeBoth⁩

You can find my music on Spotify/Apple Music/Youtube ⁨@LaurenLanzaretta⁩

#GayChristian #LGBTQFaith #ChristianLGBTQ #ProgressiveChristianity #AffirmingChristian #QueerChristian #ComingOut #ReligiousTrauma #BiblicalInterpretation #FaithAndSexuality #YouCanBeBoth #LGBTQChurch #GayAndChristian #ChristianPodcast #FaithJourney #LGBTQMinistry #AffirmingTheology #QueerTheology #ReligiousDeconstruction #ChristianIdentity

GET THE RESOURCE GUIDE HERE: https://www.laurenlanzaretta.com/youcanbeboth

Welcome to You Can Be Both — the podcast for LGBTQ+ Christians, gay Christians, and anyone navigating faith and sexuality while healing from religious trauma, church hurt, and rejection.

In this New Year episode, Lauren shares how we’re moving from confusion to clarity in 2026. If you’ve ever wondered “Can I be Christian and LGBTQ?” or felt stuck between your identity and your faith, this conversation is for you. We talk about what it really takes to heal, rebuild confidence, and deepen your relationship with God—without shrinking who you are.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What “confusion to clarity” means for LGBTQ people of faith in 2026

• How community and testimony help us heal from evangelical trauma, Catholic guilt, and spiritual abuse

• Why understanding Bible context and translation matters (and why Lauren plans to bring on guests who can unpack “clobber verses,” theology, and Scripture interpretation)

• The 3-step healing framework: get educated, get connected, and start healing

• How to release what’s holding you back in 2026: addiction and coping behaviors, approval-seeking, and toxic relationships

• Why you don’t need permission from pastors, parents, or church culture to be okay with God

• Practical next steps: finding affirming churches, following helpful creators, getting therapy support, and using journaling prompts for healing and future visionLauren also shares big plans for 2026, including guest interviews, TikTok Lives, Zoom community calls, and future live events built around worship, healing, testimonies, and connection.

To close, Lauren leads a guided Christian meditation for healing—an imaginative prayerful exercise centered on God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—followed by Psalm 23, and a heartfelt community prayer for freedom from depression, addiction, shame, and abusive relationships.

📌 RESOURCE GUIDE (Confusion to Clarity Healing Guide): Lauren created a downloadable healing guide for LGBTQ+ people of faith packed with books, podcasts, affirming church resources, therapist support ideas, and journaling prompts to help you start your healing journey.

GET THE RESOURCE GUIDE HERE: https://www.laurenlanzaretta.com/youcanbeboth

The book she mentioned called "Letting Go" (which is also in the resource guide) can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/49kYwcu

📩 Share your testimony / join the community: Submit your email + location in the form below so you can get updates about lives, Zoom calls, and upcoming events/tour dates: https://bit.ly/49G1tpz

If this episode helped you, please like, subscribe, and share—it helps this message reach other LGBTQ+ Christians who feel alone. You are loved. God loves you. And you are not alone.

🔔 New episodes every Sunday at 11am

🎧 Also available on all podcast platforms

For sponsorship opportunities email: youcanbebothpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow my other socials on TikTok and Instagram!‪@YouCanBeBoth‬ ‪@LaurenLanzaretta‬

#LGBTQChristian #GayChristian #YouCanBeBoth #Deconstruction #ReligiousTrauma #ChurchHurt #AffirmingChurch #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndSexuality #HealingJourney #christianmeditation

Why are Christians so obsessed with LGBTQ people—when LGBTQ Christians make up just 3% of the Church?In this episode of You Can Be Both, we explore a question many LGBTQ people of faith are asking: Why does such a small, vulnerable community receive so much scrutiny, legislation, and moral policing from Christians—while far bigger issues go ignored?This episode unpacks the rise of Christian nationalism, the explosion of anti-LGBTQ legislation, and the deep religious trauma experienced by LGBTQ people—especially those who still love God and want to keep their faith. We explore how Jesus’ actual teachings of love, compassion, and care for the vulnerable have been replaced by fear-based politics, moral superiority, and targeted attacks on queer and trans people.💬 In this episode, we discuss: • Why LGBTQ people are disproportionately targeted by Christians and lawmakers • The role of Christian nationalism in anti-LGBTQ bills and policies • How religious abuse and church trauma impact LGBTQ mental health • Why sexual orientation is not a sin—and why comparing it to abuse is harmful • What Jesus actually taught about love, power, and human dignity • How LGBTQ Christians can heal, reclaim their faith, and find safe community • Why you can be both LGBTQ and ChristianThis podcast exists as a safe space for LGBTQ people of faith—especially those who’ve been told they must choose between who they are and God. If you’ve experienced church hurt, spiritual abuse, or rejection from family or faith communities, you are not alone.✨ This episode is for you if you’re searching for: • LGBTQ Christian support • Healing from religious trauma • Conversations about faith and sexuality • Christian perspectives that center love, not harm • A reminder that God hasn’t abandoned you🙏 If this episode resonates: • Subscribe for weekly conversations on faith, healing, and LGBTQ identity • Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it • Leave a comment—your story matters hereYou don’t have to give up your faith to be yourself.You don’t have to give up yourself to love God.You can be both.⸻🔔 New episodes every Sunday at 11am🎧 Also available on all podcast platformsTo submit your own testimony or question click this link: https://bit.ly/49G1tpzFor sponsorship opportunities email: youcanbebothpodcast@gmail.com. Follow my other socials on TikTok and Instagram!‪@YouCanBeBoth‬ ‪@LaurenLanzaretta‬ #LGBTQ #Faith #YouCanBeBoth #laurenlanzaretta #Christianity #SelfAcceptance #ComingOut #Spirituality #Healing #authenticity#YouCanBeBoth #LGBTQChristian #QueerFaith #GayChristian #ReligiousTrauma #AffirmingFaith #HolidayStress #ChosenFamily #Deconstruction #LGBTQPodcast

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.

🔔 New episodes every Sunday at 11am

🎧 Also available on all podcast platforms

👉 If this helped you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share this with someone going through something similar. You don’t have to do this alone.

To submit your own testimony or question click this link: https://bit.ly/49G1tpz

For sponsorship opportunities email: youcanbebothpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow my other socials on TikTok and Instagram!‪@YouCanBeBoth‬ ‪@LaurenLanzaretta‬

Thank you so much for watching and be sure to SUBSCRIBE and share this podcast to get it out to those who need it. See you in the next episode!

#LGBTQ #Faith #YouCanBeBoth #laurenlanzaretta #Christianity #SelfAcceptance #ComingOut #Spirituality #Healing #authenticity#YouCanBeBoth #LGBTQChristian #QueerFaith #GayChristian #ReligiousTrauma #AffirmingFaith #HolidayStress #ChosenFamily #Deconstruction #LGBTQPodcast

• To submit your own testimony or question click this link: https://bit.ly/49G1tpz

• 
  

• For sponsorship opportunities email: youcanbebothpodcast@gmail.com.

What happens when you’re a LGBTQ+ and Christian… but don’t fully fit into either community?

If you’re LGBTQ and Christian, you may feel caught in the middle — not fully welcomed by the church, yet not always aligned with everything in the LGBTQ community either.

That in-between space can feel lonely, confusing, and deeply isolating.In this episode of You Can Be Both, we talk about what it’s like to live in that tension — loving God, holding personal moral convictions, and still standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ community, even when you don’t agree with everything it believes or represents.

This episode is for anyone who has ever thought:

• “I don’t fully belong in church anymore.”

• “I support the LGBTQ community, but I don’t align with everything.”

• “Why do I feel judged by both sides?”

• “Why does it feel like I have to choose?”In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why many gay Christians feel isolated between faith and LGBTQ culture

• How the LGBTQ community formed — and why shared struggle created unity

• Why supporting LGBTQ rights doesn’t require agreeing with everything culturally

• How moral standards, faith, and sexuality can coexist

• Why the church often struggles to make space for LGBTQ believers

• How judgment from both sides affects mental health and identity

• Why you’re allowed to hold nuanced beliefs without shame

• How to stop feeling like you have to “pick a side”

• How to create your own community when neither space fully fitsWe also breaks down:

• The difference between belonging and agreeing

• Why LGBTQ people are not a monolith — and neither are Christians

• How faith can remain personal even when church spaces feel unsafe

• Why it’s okay to take what resonates from each space and leave the rest

This podcast exists for people living in the middle — too Christian for some LGBTQ spaces, too LGBTQ for many churches — and who are tired of being told they don’t belong.

You are not confused.

You are not broken.

You are not alone.

💬 Join the conversation:

Share your experience in the comments. Connect with others who understand.

📩 Use the link below to stay connected and be part of future You Can Be Both gatherings and events.

✨ You don’t have to fit perfectly to belong.

✨ You don’t have to choose.

✨ You can be both.

⸻

To submit your own testimony or question click this link: https://bit.ly/49G1tpz

For sponsorship opportunities email: youcanbebothpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow my other socials on TikTok and Instagram!‪@YouCanBeBoth‬ ‪@LaurenLanzaretta‬

#LGBTQ #Faith #YouCanBeBoth #laurenlanzaretta #Christianity #SelfAcceptance #ComingOut #Spirituality #Healing #authenticity #gaychristian #lgbtqchristian #queerchristian #youcanbeboth #faithandsexuality #deconstruction #reconstruction #religiontrauma #churchhurt #affirmingtheology #lgbtqfaith #gayandchristian #lgbtqandchristian #jesuslovesyou

Have you ever had a partner break up with you because they “don’t want to be gay anymore” or because they’re “choosing God”?

💔 If you’re LGBTQ and your partner left you for religious reasons, this episode of You Can Be Both is for you.

In this powerful, faith-filled conversation, Lauren Lanzaretta talks honestly about LGBTQ heartbreak, Christian guilt, and the pain of being left “for God.” She reads a real testimony from a woman whose wife of nearly 12 years walked away to pursue a “better relationship with God,” and breaks down what’s really going on underneath decisions like that.

In this episode, we talk about:

• 💔 Why some LGBTQ partners leave to “choose God” or “stop being gay”

• 🧠 How internalized shame, religious pressure, and family approval influence their decisions

• 🙏 Why their choice does not mean you’re spiritually inferior or unloved by God

• 🩹 Practical ways to grieve, heal, and rebuild your identity after LGBTQ Christian heartbreak

• 🚩 Red flags in secret/closeted relationships and partners who aren’t proud to claim you

• 🌱 How to set higher standards, write a vision for your future, and stop settling for breadcrumbs

• 🌈 Why you can be both LGBTQ and Christian—and still have a hopeful, loving future

From there, she walks you through how to heal after a breakup like this—especially if you’re gay and Christian. You’ll hear practical, hope-filled steps to grieve, rebuild your identity, reconnect with yourself, and trust that God still loves you completely as you are. Lauren also shares red flags to watch out for in secret or half-hidden relationships, and how to set higher standards so you stop settling for breadcrumbs and start choosing partners who are truly proud to love you.

The episode ends with a heartfelt prayer for anyone going through LGBTQ heartbreak, reminding you that: You are loved. You are not spiritually inferior. You can be LGBTQ and have a deep, real relationship with God.

💜I f you’re navigating:

• LGBTQ Christian heartbreak

• A partner choosing religion over your relationship

• Feeling “not good enough” for God because you’re gay

• Confusion about whether you can be both LGBTQ and Christian…this episode will help you feel seen, comforted, and less alone, and give you tools to move forward with hope.

👉 If this helped you, please like, comment, subscribe, and share this with someone going through a similar breakup. You don’t have to do this alone.

To submit your own testimony or question click this link: https://bit.ly/49G1tpz

For sponsorship opportunities email: youcanbebothpodcast@gmail.com.

Follow my other socials on TikTok and Instagram!‪@YouCanBeBoth‬ ‪@LaurenLanzaretta‬

Thank you so much for watching and be sure to SUBSCRIBE and share this podcast to get it out to those who need it. See you in the next episode!

#LGBTQ #Faith #YouCanBeBoth #laurenlanzaretta #Christianity #SelfAcceptance #ComingOut #Spirituality #Healing #authenticity