Why We Had A Gender Reveal Party For Our 17-Year-Old Son

Boy or girl?…

The first thing we wonder about when we get pregnant (after all the holy crap! I’m pregnant) is, is it a boy or girl?

We get so excited, picking out clothes and nursery decor based on the sex of our babies. We throw parties, and pick out names. We assign attributes (like strength or beauty) based on what our child has growing between their legs. And MOST of the time, that works out perfectly fine.

But sometimes, we force these expected characteristics based off biological sex, and *gasp* we’ve gotten it wrong. Normally, it’s just off, but other times, that child you labeled a girl doesn’t actually feel like a girl. Sometimes that child disassociates who they are with the body they possess, and it can come across as body dysmorphia or self-esteem issues and that’s as far as it goes (to your knowledge). Other times, that child grows up feeling like a completely different person, and if you’re really lucky, they open up and tell you the truth, no matter how scary or daunting that could be.

We wanted to announce that we got it wrong 17 years ago when we told the world we were having a little girl, and named that child McKenzie. 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.

The colors of the balloons we chose for Grey match the non-binary pride flag, and the cake layers are those that represent transgender bodies, for those that are wondering.

No, we’re not buying him a lifted truck. 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.