Laurie Krieg joins David, TJ, and Tyler for a practical conversation about how parents can respond when their child comes out as gay or trans. Drawing from her own story and work with parents navigating these moments, Laurie explores the fear and shame that can shape these moments and offers instead a posture of curiosity, listening, emotional steadiness, and continued conversation. We’re grateful for the way Laurie brings a lot of warmth and hard-won wisdom to the conversation.

Note: This episode uses the terms “Side A” and “Side B” (and X, Y) as shorthand quite a bit. If you’re new to the conversation, you might find it helpful to check out episode #3, where we talk through the four “sides”: ⁠#3 - A-B-Y-X | 4 Sides on SSA/Gay Sexuality⁠

★ About Our Guest

Laurie Krieg is the Director of Parenting & Discipleship at The Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender. Laurie has a master’s degree in evangelism and leadership from Wheaton Graduate School. She and her husband, Matt, co-host the Hole in My Heart Podcast, co-authored An Impossible Marriage (IVP 2020), and Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World (IVP 2026). Laurie and Matt live in West Michigan with their three kids.

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★ Timestamps

(00:00) #88 - “When Your Kid Comes Out to You” 101, with Laurie Krieg

(02:45) Laurie’s story: Faith and sexuality in conservative evangelical America

(06:45) We’re seeing shifts in how (religious) parents and kids approach same-sex attraction

(09:44) POV: When your kid comes out to you...

(12:39) Our cultural moment: Sexuality, gender, and school education

(15:51) Resources for panicking parents

(23:48) What if your child HAS been pursuing same-sex relationships?

(30:14) What about coming out re: pronouns and gender identities?

(37:28) When your child’s life looks different than you thought...

(50:20) How to contact the CenterforFaith.com

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★ Send feedback, questions, comments, support || Email: communionandshalom@gmail.com | Instagram: @newkinship | Substack: @newkinship

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★ Credits || Creators and Hosts: David Frank, TJ Espinoza, Tyler Parker | Audio Engineer: Carl Swenson (on Spotify) | Podcast Manager: Elena F. | Graphic Designer: Aogu Fujihashi ★

This is Part 2 from our conversation in August, so if you haven’t listened to that yet, you may want to start there.

We finish our conversation about whether Side B should function more as a discernment toolkit or a confessional movement. We also explore how boundaries relate to creation and freedom (Genesis, Galatians 5), the risks of reductionism or wrongly drawn lines, and areas needing ongoing discernment.

Timestamps:00:00 Kinship Lab #7 (Part 2)11:25 Truth Claims and Fruit15:57 Boundaries and Holy World-building28:58 Ambiguity and Discernment Zones45:48 Leadership Lines and Farewell

Are boundaries inevitable? Can they enable “holy world-building”? Let us know your thoughts!

This podcast exists from the generous support from our listeners. If you would like to join the New Kin WhatsApp group to connect with us more and help keep all of our content available for free, then please sign up to support with any size regular gift through Substack—ever dollar is really helpful in helping us continue to build this work.

Francis is a Vietnamese-American Catholic experiencing same-sex attraction and an extremely thoughtful friend! He joined us to share about his experiences with: family conversations and coming out, discerning the priesthood, pursuing celibacy, finding support through Eden Invitation, and the creative possibilities of celibacy and rootedness. We appreciated this conversation and hope it speaks to you as well!

Note: This episode uses the terms “Side A” and “Side B” (and X, Y) as shorthand quite a bit. If you’re new to the conversation, you might find it helpful to check out episode #3, where we talk through the four “sides”: ⁠#3 - A-B-Y-X | 4 Sides on SSA/Gay Sexuality⁠

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★ Timestamps

(00:00) #87 - Discerning the Priesthood as a Vietnamese Catholic: Francis’s Story

(00:16) The son of two Catholic, Vietnamese immigrants

(03:37) Same-sex attraction and words in Vietnamese Catholic communities

(16:34) Coming out to parents to be a “safe space” in college

(23:28) My mom wanted to support me despite her theological beliefs

(33:44) Processing celibacy, stability, and intimacy in relationship

(40:55) Discerning seminary and a call to priesthood: Was sexuality a factor?

(58:21) The gifts of same-sex attraction

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★ Send us feedback, questions, comments, support || Email: communionandshalom@gmail.com | Instagram: @newkinship | Substack: @newkinship

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★ Credits || Creators and Hosts: David Frank, TJ Espinoza, Tyler Parker | Audio Engineer: Carl Swenson | Podcast Manager: Elena F. ★