Can you be gay and still love Jesus? Can you be LGBTQ+ and Christian? Yes—and this episode of You Can Be Both walks through exactly how. 🏳️‍🌈✝️

In this honest, vulnerable conversation, I share my journey of balancing my relationship with God while being gay—and how I moved through deconstruction, becoming conscious, and reconstruction of my faith.

If you’re a gay Christian, queer Christian, LGBTQ+ believer, or someone with church hurt or religious trauma, this is for you.

We talk about:

-Why you can be both LGBTQ+ and Christian

-How I deconstructed beliefs about hell, patriarchy, Sodom and Gomorrah, and “clobber verses”

-The historical context of the Bible, patriarchy, and how sexuality was viewed 2,000 years ago 

-Why many teachings about homosexuality in the Bible were about power, patriarchy, and abuse—not loving, consensual LGBTQ+ relationships

-What it really means to be Christlike vs. just wearing the label “Christian”

-How childhood wounds, trauma, and church culture shape how we see God, ourselves, and other people

-Letting go of shame and seeing God as compassionate, loving, and not out to punish you

-How loving, healthy, same-sex relationships can actually draw us closer to God

🧱 3 Big Parts of This Episode:

1️⃣ Deconstruction – Questioning what we were taught about:    

•    Hell, eternal punishment & fear-based salvation    

•    The patriarchy in Scripture and how women were treated as property   

•    Sodom and Gomorrah, rape vs consensual sex, and what the text actually says

2️⃣ Becoming Conscious –   

•    Seeing our patterns, trauma, and “stories” we carry from childhood    

•    How we project unhealed pain into our relationships    

•    Why being a Christian means doing the work: therapy, self-reflection, growth, and learning to truly love people

3️⃣ Reconstruction –    

•    Rebuilding faith around Jesus’s character: justice, mercy, compassion, and inclusion    

•    Asking: “Is this destructive or is this life-giving?” instead of “Is this on a rule list?”    

•    Understanding that a loving, affirming gay relationship can be holy, healthy, and aligned with God’s heart

If you’ve ever asked:    

•    “Is it a sin to be gay?”    

•    “Can I be gay and still be a Christian?”    

•    “Does God hate me for being LGBTQ?”    

•    “How do I heal from religious trauma and church hurt?”

…this episode will help you feel less alone and more grounded in knowing you can be both. 💛👇

✨ You are loved. You are not broken. You can be both.

If this resonated with you:    

•    Drop a comment and share where you’re at in your faith and sexuality journey    

•    Turn on notifications so you don’t miss new episodes    

•    Share this with a gay Christian, someone with religious trauma, or a friend who’s deconstructing

🔔 Subscribe for weekly encouragement, faith exploration, healing conversations, and LGBTQ Christian support.To 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