Jeff van de Zandt went to church twice a week before coming out as gay

Come Out Wherever You Are with Sean Szeps

If you grow up in a religious family who believed being gay made you sick, where would you find the confidence to come out? Jeff van de Zandt is a Melbourne-based, Dutch-Filipino content creator and creative art director. These days Jeff is one of Australia's most popular TikTok creators, but when Jeff was growing up in Canberra in the 90's, there was one gay nightclub in the city and the only gay people he knew were his sister's housemates, who he would only see when his family travelled to Sydney. In this episode, Jeff shares with Sean about growing up in a religious family where the knowledge that being gay wasn't right was never far from his mind, finding unexpected support from his family and overcoming the internalised homophobia he's struggled with since he was a kid. If this episode brought up any feelings for you or you want more information, these resources may help you: QLife: Call 1800 184 527 for a free phone service every day from 3pm – midnight. Visit their website www.qlife.org.au for a free webchat Minus18: Australia’s LGBTQIA+ charity. Follow them on social @minus18youth or visit their website on www.minus18.org.au for resources, events and training for your school or workplace Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 for 24-hour crisis support If you want to be a part of the Come Out Wherever You Are community, you can follow us on Instagram: @comeoutwhereveryouare @seanszeps @jjzandtSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.