Parents from Ohio threw a gender reveal party for their 17-year-old, saying they ‘got it wrong’ when they announced the birth of their baby ‘girl’ years ago.
Grey Schoolcraft said that his loving and supportive parents, Brandon and Love Gwaltney, were making up for the mistake by throwing a reveal party.
The supportive mother took to Facebook and wrote: “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.”
Grey, who identifies as nonbinary, said that his gender identity journey took years but when he finally told about it to his mother and stepdad, he was over the moon when he realized they were actually very supportive.
In an interview with CNN, Grey said: “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.
“But it’s definitely 100 per cent worth it and I’m glad we had (the gender reveal party).”
Grey’s parents hired photographer Sarah McBride to capture the party.
35-year-old Love told Today: “The more we walked about it the more excited he got.”
Grey also told CNN: “I wanted the transgender flag in there because I still feel that going from whatever you are originally to nonbinary is also a transition and it doesn’t just have to be straight female to male.”
Their photos were shared online with a sweet message from his mother. “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,” Love wrote.
“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.”
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