A young Australian has used a gender reveal party to come out as genderqueer and non-binary.
Sydney resident Hank Paul wore a yellow dress, matching shoes and outsized sparkly glasses to mark the occasion at their home on May 5.
The excited 27-year-old, who asked to be referred by the honorific Mx, told Daily Mail Australia it was their first time wearing a dress in public.
Mx Paul filmed the special occasion shared with friends and family, with the event featuring heartwarming speeches and cake cutting.
“That was the whole point, to just share this part of my journey with the most important people in my life,” Mx Paul said.
Gender reveal parties are traditionally held by parents expecting a baby, but the tradition has previously been used by some members of the LGBTQI community to reveal their gender identity.
Non-binary is when a person does not identify exclusively as a male or female, while genderqueer refers to someone who does not adhere to binary gender norms.
Hank Paul (pictured) has used a gender reveal party — something more commonly used to reveal the gender of an unborn baby — to come out as genderqueer and non-binary
Mx Paul asked guests to wear anything that made them feel “gender euphoria.”
They revealed that they bought their dress from an opp store and completed their look with a pearl necklace and earrings.
“I like shopping at opp stores because most of the clothes aren’t segregated by a specific gender,” they said.
“They’re just all thrown on a rack and you sift through it.”
‘I went shopping for a few weeks looking for the right thing. And so I found it and, and that’s the one I was wearing.”
Mx Paul gave a speech at the party and first thanked everyone for coming before doing the gender reveal.
“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 that they “grew up in a very conservative community.”
“And so there wasn’t a lot of representation in my life at the time about what it meant to be queer and to thrive,” they said.
“So at the time I thought this was something to be ashamed of.”
Mx Paul explained that it had taken 10 years for them to disclose that they were genderqueer.
The video shows family and friends bursting into applause and cheers as Mx Paul stood smiling in the center of the room.
The partygoers then raised a glass to toast the unveiling.
Mx Paul thanked their “beautiful cousin for coming, even though it was her birthday” and hugged their flatmate, saying the whole evening was “very special.”
They then told the guests that there was a piece of paper on the wall inviting everyone to write down what gender means to them.
Mx Paul (pictured) is a photographer and mainly works ‘with the LGBTQ+ community’
Hank Paul (pictured) wore a yellow dress and matching yellow shoes and was surrounded by friends and family as they came out
One wrote that their gender is “seasonal…but always so cute,” while another said it meant “sitting at the table.”
A third said their gender made them feel “complex but wonderful.”
“Something I haven’t given much thought to,” wrote another.
Another wrote, “If it makes you feel good and doesn’t hurt anyone, then go for it!”
Mx Paul had a very simple explanation for what gender means to them: ‘Liberation’.
They said they didn’t know anyone who had previously held a gender reveal party to announce they were non-binary.
“But I’ve certainly heard of people, particularly transgender people, who, when their birth certificates changed, have thrown parties to celebrate,” Mx Paul said.
They said they wanted to “rewrite the story of what it means to celebrate gender.”
“And I think when we celebrate the gender of someone who hasn’t been born yet, we’ve made a lot of assumptions about him.
Mx Paul told the guests that there was a piece of paper on the wall where they were invited to write about what gender means to them (pictured)
“As an adult, I have to choose based on how I feel, which makes me feel most authentic.”
Mx Paul said their parents were “incredibly supportive.”
“They live in Canberra and I made a special trip to visit them before having this party,” they said.
“I sat down and just told them the news and they asked some questions, but they were very open and loving.”
Mx Paul is a photographer and primarily works “with the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
“I’ve been a photographer since high school and in that space I’ve noticed that many companies want support on how to connect with LGBTQ+ plus people,” they said.
“So I basically turned my business around to teach business owners how to authentically connect with the community.”