In/Out

'Steph takes you into her world with refreshing honesty. Her voice is that rare combination of conviction and vulnerability' Kumi Taguchi

'With In/Out, Steph Lenz shows that if love does not conquer all, something has gone very badly wrong' Ed le Brocq

In January 2021, Steph Lentz was fired from her job as an English teacher at a Sydney Christian school after she came out as a lesbian.

A hardcore Christian during her teens and twenties, Steph once preached against homosexuality and defended her church's conservative teachings about marriage and sex - that is, until she fell in love with a woman at her church, and her world turned upside-down. Being honest about her sexuality cost Steph her marriage, her job and her community.

At once a gripping recount, a heartfelt apology and a scathing take-down, In/Out charts Steph's course from inside Christian fundamentalism, out of the closet and into a fuller sense of herself. Questioning what she once believed and bearing witness to the grief that can accompany radical change, her story ultimately attests to the truth, beauty and goodness of reclaiming agency over our own lives.

In the midst of ongoing debates about religious freedom and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people in Australia, Steph's story is timely and necessary.

Auteur

Steph Lentz is a former advertising writer and secondary school teacher. She came to public attention in 2021 after she was sacked from her job as a teacher because of her sexuality. Steph is based in Sydney.