A space built on acceptance
The weekly dinners are deliberately focused: they exist so parents can support one another in affirming their trans children, period. Corcoran is firm that the group does not entertain conversations about stopping kids from being who they are. "They have to realize it is not about them, it's about their child," she said. "Do they want their child to become the best person that they can be, whoever that is, whether it's male or female?" Parents discuss the challenges of faith, work, and parenting in America's current hostile political and religious environment while sharing a meal and mutual understanding.A personal transformation
Corcoran wasn't always confident in the legitimacy of trans identities. About ten years ago, she met an out trans student for the first time, and it shifted something fundamental in her thinking. She took a two-year sabbatical specifically to travel the country and deepen her understanding of trans people and their lives. "Nancy, you're blind and stupid in an area that is making a big difference to people's lives," she told herself, "and so you need to learn." When a parent later reached out desperately seeking connection with other affirming Catholic families, Corcoran knew exactly what to do.The stakes in Missouri
Missouri has become increasingly hostile territory for LGBTQ+ families. The state has passed numerous anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and a report from the Movement Advancement Project released at the end of 2025 estimated that up to $879 million in LGBTQ+ household and business income has left Missouri in recent years. Corcoran has witnessed the exodus firsthand: she knows 40 families who have already fled. She describes the daily reality as one of terror, parents calculating driving times to Illinois or Canada, children anxious about which bathroom they can safely use at school. Yet Corcoran remains steadfast in her hope. "Yes, of course, the church will change," she said. "It always gets better." Her Friday dinners stand as a quiet testament to that faith, and a concrete expression of it in the present.Source: LGBTQ Nation
Cover photo: Leonardo Rojas Magallanes / Pexels
