Can you be gay and Christian? Susan Palmer is an ordained pastor who spent her twenties hiding her sexuality while serving in her church. At 30, after years of prayer and struggle, she reached a breaking point at a church camp where she stopped fighting and received what she calls the peace that passes all understanding. Today she ministers alongside her wife Lynn at the Open Door, an affirming faith community she founded over 25 years ago.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses suicide, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you’re not alone. Help is available:
• Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
For anyone raised in a faith tradition and quietly convinced they cannot be both gay and Christian, this episode offers something rare: the testimony of an ordained pastor who lived through exactly that internal war and came out the other side still believing.
Susan Palmer spent her twenties in silent conflict. She was serving in her church, going through the motions of prayer and worship, while carrying an attraction she had never named to anyone. She tried to overcome it. A friend even attempted an exorcism, convinced the feelings were spiritual sickness that could be prayed away. It was exhausting.
At 30, during a church camp in 1993, Susan reached her breaking point. She stopped fighting. In that moment of surrender, she describes receiving what the scriptures call the peace that passes all understanding. She came out to her parents. She was ordained as an elder two years later. When church leaders asked what could be done for the LGBTQIA+ community, she helped start a small coming-out group in 1999. Over 25 years, that group grew into the Open Door, a thriving congregation offering support, connection, and a living answer to the question at the heart of this episode: yes, you can be gay and Christian.
🕒 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Content warning and opening philosophy
01:07 Susan Palmer and the Open Door
05:18 Growing up in faith, questioning in silence
08:15 The internal conflict begins
11:27 Living a double life
14:44 Coming out to parents, ordained as elder
17:05 Starting the Open Door in 1999
22:45 Can you be gay and Christian?
25:38 Small acts of kindness against the hate
32:28 Meeting Lynn and ministry partnership
35:30 Rainbow Hub programs and community activities
39:47 How to connect with the Open Door
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📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Open Door Community of Christ: opendeercommunityofchrist.com
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