Forefront Conversations with Candice Czubernat

What this episode covers

Candice's story of love and discovery sounds a lot like the story many of us have either heard or lived before: a teenage crush, a nervous first kiss, and a new sense of a world of possibilities opening up before her. Unfortunately, her story of love and discovery also contains a few other elements that sound a lot like those that many of us have either heard or lived before: confusion about her lesbian feelings, church leaders commanding her to change her identity, and entering into a heterosexual relationship to perpetuate denial. In short, she went through what so many LQBTQI people go through in evangelical churches: trauma. Candice eventually came to embrace and love who she is and found a church that did the same, which equipped her to establish The Christian Closet, a fully LGBTQ team of counselors and coaches who provide virtual mental and spiritual health services for Christians who are on the journey of realizing that they are LQBTQI. As they say on their website, "God loves you as you are, period. And yet we also know how hard it is to believe that when so many people say otherwise." ABOUT CANDICE Candice Czubernat is a therapist and founder of The Christian Closet, an LGBTQ affirming counseling, coaching and spiritual direction organization. She is also the founder of Gloriously Queer a conference for LGBTQ people of faith developed by LGBTQ people of faith. As a therapist she sees LGBTQ individuals and couples worldwide as they navigate the many experiences of what it is to be a queer person in this world. Candice offers consulting services to pastors and clergy who are beginning the transitional process of being LGBTQ affirming places of worship. For more information on The Christian Closet, visit https://www.thechristiancloset.com/

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