Just when we thought we'd had enough of gender reveal parties constantly trying to reinvent themselves with cake, balloon and even lasagna reveals, Heather Lundberg Green presented a poignant twist to the gimmick that is worth celebrating.
Green isn't an expectant mother, but she is reintroducing her son to the world.
The proud mother from Louisville, Kentucky orchestrated a colorful (mostly blue) photoshoot to celebrate her son Adrian's 20th birthday after he notified her that he was transitioning.
The adoration she has for Adrian is in sharp focus in the beautiful photos she posted on her Facebook page.
Green captioned them:
"When your child comes out as trans, the best thing to do is create a photoshoot to celebrate the fact that he silently and bravely stepped out of the race that he never wanted to be in, found his own lane and proceeded to win."
"HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, Adrian! You are without a doubt the most fascinating human I know and I will always be your biggest fan! I love you, I honor who you are and I respect your courage to be unapologetically you!! Lets celebrate!!"
When Adrian told his mother he wanted to transition from female to male, Green didn't know how to respond.
"Growing up, Adrian was always a little different from the other children. He wasn't extremely feminine, nor was he masculine, he was just him."
She wrote in theLove What Matters blog:
"He has always seen the world through a different lens and interacted with it in his own unique way. Adrian was the type of child who exuded compassion and empathy for his peers, always seeking to friend the children who didn't have friends."
At 13, Adrian told his mom he was pansexual – meaning his love was not gender-specific and is dictated by emotion.
It was a term she wasn't familiar with at the time.
"When he made this announcement, it came as no surprise to me, I was thrilled that his beautiful heart extended beyond lifting up others but also into who he would choose to love."
By the time he was 19, Adrian came out to his 17-year-old younger brother, Lucas, who accepted and embraced him instantly.
For Green, the revelation wasn't shocking, and she knew that Adrian was still the same compassionate person she's always known.
She just didn't know how to support his journey while he was transitioning.
"I have always had many friends in the LGBTQ community and still I wasn't sure what steps I should take as his mother, or even what an appropriate response was outside of 'I still love you.'"
Green even posed as an expectant mom with a fake pooch for the gender reveal series.
So she came up with the idea of doing the photoshoot which included a photo of Adrian bundled up in a white blanket inscribed with the words:
"It's a boy!"
Green hoped Adrian's gender reveal would inspire her friends and others.
"I hoped that it would move them to share it with their friends so that people could see that it is perfectly acceptable to surround a transition with joy and love instead of the typical ostracizing and dysphoria that occurs."
Her Facebook post went viral, garnering 32K likes, to date.
Heather Lundberg Green/Facebook
Heather Lundberg Green/Facebook
Heather Lundberg Green/Facebook
Heather Lundberg Green/Facebook
Heather Lundberg Green/Facebook
Heather Lundberg Green/Facebook
USA Today stressed the importance of sharing news that embraces positive stories representing the transgender community, who often feel rejected by society and consider and attempt suicide at a higher rate than their peers.
"How could we not!!?? The transgender community is under attack by our president for goodness sake. These people who are transitioning are not receiving the honor and praise that they are due."
Green told All the Moms section of USA Today:
"The courage it takes to step out and live their truth while so many people are waiting to knock them down is amazing to me."
"I hope that by sharing our story, the transgender community will allow themselves to expect celebrations and that they will no longer feel that they are infringing on anyone else by sharing their journey."
Green's gender reveal photoshoot is already having a positive impact on young transgender people who were feeling isolated.
Adrian found out through Lucas that his mother's Facebook post is saving lives.
He recalled the moment listening to Lucas's story of a trans boy at school who was contemplating taking his own life.
"Without saying anything, he pulled me into a tight, bone-crushing hug and held me."
Here he is with his little brother.
Adrian continued with the story:
"He proceeded to tell me that a trans boy at his school had come out to his parents after seeing our post. He had been considering suicide before coming out to them and because of our message he had the courage to tell them and found out that his parents were going to support them."
"He would not have had the courage had we not taken these photos."
Gender reveals don't get any better than this.
Happy 20th birthday, Adrian. We're so glad you were born!
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram