A young Australian woman used a gender reveal party to come out as genderqueer and non-binary.
Sydney’s Hank Paul wore a yellow dress, matching shoes and oversized glittery glasses to her home for the occasion on May 5th.
The excited 27-year-old, who asked to be endorsed by the honorary Mx, told Daily Mail Australia it was the first time they had worn a dress in public.
Mx Paul filmed the special occasion with friends and family which consisted of heartwarming speeches and cake cutting.
“That was the whole point of sharing this part of my journey with the most important people in my life,” said Mx Paul.
Gender reveal parties are traditionally thrown by parents expecting a baby, but some members of the LGBTQI community have used this tradition to announce their gender identity before.
Non-binary is when a person does not identify exclusively as male or female, while “genderqueer” refers to someone who does not follow binary gender norms.
Hank Paul (pictured) used a gender reveal party — something usually used to reveal the gender of an unborn baby — to come out as genderqueer and non-binary
Mx Paul urged guests to wear anything that sparked “gender euphoria” in them.
They revealed they bought their dress from an opp shop and completed their look with a pearl necklace and earrings.
“I love shopping at thrift stores because most of the clothes aren’t segregated by gender,” they said.
“They’re all just thrown onto a rack and you search it.”
“I’ve been shopping for several weeks looking for the right one.” And that’s how I found it and this is what I wore.’
Speaking at the party, Mx Paul first thanked everyone for coming before revealing the gender.
“Ten years ago I shamefully came out as gay for the first time. “Today I stand in a room full of people who love me,” they said.
Mx Paul explained they “grew up in a very conservative community.”
“And so at that point in my life, there wasn’t much to understand about what it means to be queer and to be successful,” they said.
“So at the time I thought that was something to be ashamed of.”
Mx Paul explained it took them ten years to announce they were gender biased.
The video shows family and friends erupting in applause and cheers as Mx Paul stood in the middle of the room smiling.
Afterwards, the party guests raised a glass to toast the unveiling.
Mx Paul thanked her “beautiful cousin for coming even though it was her birthday,” hugged her roommate and said the whole evening was “really special.”
Then they informed the guests that there was a piece of paper on the wall on which everyone could write what gender meant to them.
Mx Paul (pictured) is a photographer working primarily with the LGBTQ+ community
Wearing a yellow dress and matching yellow shoes, Hank Paul (pictured) was surrounded by friends and family as they came out
One wrote that her gender is “seasonal…but always cute as hell,” while another opined it meant “having a seat at the table.”
A third said their gender made them feel “complex yet fabulous”.
“Something I haven’t given much thought to,” wrote another.
Another person wrote, “If it makes you feel good and doesn’t hurt anyone, do it!”
Mx Paul had a very simple explanation of what gender means to them: “liberation”.
They said they didn’t know of anyone who had previously held a gender reveal party to announce that they were non-binary.
“But I’ve definitely heard from people, especially trans people, who have thrown parties to celebrate after changing their birth certificates,” Mx Paul said.
They said they wanted to “rewrite the narrative of what it means to celebrate gender.”
“And I think when we celebrate the gender of a person who isn’t yet born, we’ve made a lot of assumptions about them.”
Mx Paul told guests that there was a piece of paper on the wall for them to write down what gender means to them (pictured).
“As an adult, I have to decide what makes me feel the most authentic based on how I feel.”
Mx Paul said her parents were “incredibly supportive”.
“They live in Canberra and I made a special trip to visit them before I had that party,” they said.
“I sat down and just broke the news to them and they asked a few questions, but they were very open and loving.”
Mx Paul is a photographer and works primarily with the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
“I’ve been a photographer since high school and in this field I’ve found that many businesses need support on how to connect with LGBTQ++ people,” they said.
“So I’ve built my business around teaching business owners how to authentically engage with the community.”
G Flip is hosting a gender reveal party
The biggest gender reveal party in Australia took place two years ago when singer Georgia Flipo, known professionally as G Flip, came out as non-binary.
The hitmaker then celebrated International Day of Non-Binary People with a gender reveal party in July 2021.
But instead of the usual pink or blue reveal, the 26-year-old popped a balloon filled with multicolored confetti to reflect her non-binary gender.
In an Instagram post at the time, G Flip said they were no longer spoken with the pronouns “she/her” and instead addressed them with “they/them”.
“I’m still exactly the same person. Nonbinary is just the best way to explain who I am and how I’ve always felt, like a gender smoothie…and pies too,” they said.
The singer is best known for the hits “Killing My Time” and “Drink Too Much,” both of which went platinum in Australia, and they were named Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year at the 2019 ARIA Awards.
Australian singer Georgia Flipo, known professionally as G Flip (pictured), came out as non-binary two years ago
