Gender reveal parties can be a fun way to celebrate a new member of the family with your loved ones, but there are also some legitimate reasons not to have a gender reveal party for a child before they’re even born. One reason is that as kids grow up, they sometimes identify with a different gender than their parents expected — sex and gender are not the same, after all.
But gender reveal parties can serve a better purpose. One family created a brand-new type of gender reveal party to honor their trans child’s gender.
Love Gwaltney shared the story on Facebook, explaining why she and her partner felt the need to reintroduce their child to the world.
“We wanted to announce that we got it wrong 17 years ago when we told the world we were having a little girl,” Gwaltney wrote on Facebook.
“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.”
The couple posed for snapshots alongside a cardboard box with pink, blue and white balloons floating above it.
Since Gwaltney is currently pregnant with her youngest child, readers likely assumed that the box contained a hint at her new baby’s gender.
But instead, their teenage son popped out of the box — plus some balloons that aren’t pink or blue.
“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,” Gwaltney explained.
“All of you who came to this post hoping to find out if this new baby is a girl or boy, sorry.”
The family has received an overwhelming flood of support, and Gwaltney says Grey is handling the comments section very well.
The post has also been uplifting for countless trans and non-binary people who didn’t receive this support or recognition from their parents.
Gwaltney wrote, “For each LGBTQ person out there who has connected with this or who has in any way felt seen by this post, we are proud to have brought that recognition to you, even briefly.”
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
