Raising 'theyby': Parent chooses to keep gender of baby under wraps

Ari Dennis, pictured, and her partner decided to raise 11-month-old Sparrow as 'theyby'. Photo / Supplied

A parent in the US has explained the reasons behind calling her 1-year-old baby 'theyby' in order to raise the infant as gender neutral.

Ari Dennis, 30, and her partner told UK breakfast show Good Morning Britain, baby Sparrow will decide its sex at an older age after their older child, Hazel, decided to identify as non-binary aged 4 after being raised as a girl.

"We do not know what Sparrow's gender is yet and, as regards to her anatomy, we choose to keep that secret except for a small list of caregivers."

Dennis says and even the baby's birth-certificate says 'sex-unknown'. Photo / Supplied

In the interview Dennis, who identifies as non-binary, said she would not reveal the gender of her baby and even the birth-certificate says 'sex-unknown', the Daily Mail reported.

Dennis and Sparrow live with two people who both identify as transgender, one of whom she is married to.

"I'm in a multi-adult family, there's three of us with an 8-year-old and a 8-year-old. All the adults in our household identify as transgender – I'm legally married to one and in a relationship with another," she said.

"All children at this age are unable to understand gender. The child doesn't have any gender yet."

Dennis says even her mother did not know Sparrow's assigned sex during the first three months of the child's life even though she was living with the family.

Older child Hazel calls Sparrow "baby sibling" when asked about the 1-year-old.

Dennis spoke to Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britian.

When asked by Morgan about Sparrow's anatomy, Dennis replied: "That's something we do not discuss unless it is with a medical professional.

"Commonly, people born with one type of anatomy will identify as one gender and others with another.

"But that totally negates the fact that there are thousands of people around the world for whom that's not the case."

Dennis said the family was inspired to raise Sparrow without a known gender after their older child, Hazel, left, discovered gender around the age of four. Photo / Supplied

When Morgan argued that children don't have a sense of gender identity, Dennis replied:
"I personally don't agree with that assertion, but I can see how that can be misconstrued.

"I think every family environment is unique… Hazel has a unique education through living in an LGBT family and she's been safe to explore her own gender."

When asked if she would let a 2-year-old make a verdict on their gender, Dennis said: "I would accept that they're exploring.

"If a 2-year-old child doesn't have any ability to conceptualise gender isn't it toxic that we're telling them that they're a boy or a girl solely because of their anatomy."