Parents throw heart-warming gender reveal party for trans son, 17 years after they ‘got it wrong’
A mother threw a ‘belated’ gender reveal party for their trans son and it has restored our hope in humanity. (Facebook/Sarah McBride)
Ohio parents held what historians are saying might be the most adorable event in human history – holding a gender reveal party for their trans teen, 17.
As much as gender reveal parties – a weird, forced ritual where parents-to-be throw Jell-O-injected watermelons at hippos, blow-up things or do doughnuts in cars to reveal the genitals of foetuses – are just weird straight shenanigans at this point, parents and guardians of trans children are starting to reinvent them for the better.
Love Gwaltney said she and her husband “got it wrong 17 years ago” in a touching Facebook post that sees the teen, Grey Schoolcraft, burst out of a cardboard box with a flurry of yellow, black, purple and white balloons – the colours of the non-binary flag – before dining on trans flag-themed cake.
Mother holds gender reveal party for their trans teen: ‘He’s much like any other 17-year-old nerdy boy.’
“We wanted to announce that we got it wrong 17 years ago when we told the world we were having a little girl,” she wrote.
“So, we’d like to introduce you to our SON: Grey.”
“He’s much like any other 17-year-old nerdy boy: stays up way too late gaming, hates showering and eats too much junk food.
“We will be referring to Grey with he/him pronouns from here on out, but he told us to tell you that he also doesn’t mind if you use they/them.”
In the photoshoot, Gwaltney, who is currently pregnant, wore pink and blue to Schoolcraft’s “belated” gender reveal party, matching her husband. There’s even a cake topped with a big question mark in pink and blue sprinkles – inside, it’s striped like the colours of the trans Pride flag.
“No, we’re not buying him a lifted truck,” she joked, “yes, we will be buying him some new clothes.
“Also, all of you who came to this post hoping to find out if this new baby is a girl or boy, sorry (not sorry) to disappoint you.”
‘I’m glad we had [the reveal party].’
Schoolcraft themself, according to CNN, helped coordinate the party’s colour scheme.
“I wanted the transgender flag in there because I still feel that going from whatever you are originally to non-binary is also a transition and it doesn’t just have to be straight female to male,” the Arkon native explained.
They added that being able to live their authentic self is “refreshing” and their sense of paranoia about opening up was quickly put at ease by their family.
“You’ve been going by one name all your life and to suddenly go by a new name, especially when your parents call you by it, it’s weird and has to register in your brain,” Schoolcraft said.
“But it’s definitely 100 per cent worth it, and I’m glad we had [the reveal party].”
After the inventor of gender reveal parties voiced her own regret of holding one – especially after her daughter came out as trans – and more of the performative parties went so, so wrong in public ways, parents of trans youth have begun to reclaim the practice.
In contrast to the, well, literal fire and weird use of blue lasagnes that the standard parties use, that also enforce, these ones that celebrate the beauty of trans youth have all involved a lot of smiling faces and hugs.
