‘I’m a Christian for trans rights’: pro-LGBTQ+ Missouri pastor runs for office

As she campaigns in a deep red state, Rev Susan Shumway says its her job to kick open the doors' for queer youth

When Phoenix Lemke was in his final year of high school, he had nowhere to go.

The family of the teenager from O'Fallon, Missouri, had long disapproved of him being queer, and in December 2021, at age 17, he left home without a clear plan. He spent several days couchsurfing with friends until he found refuge with an unlikely figure: a local pastor.