I always thought the cute, small gender reveals were precious. A banner or a game or a cake revealing the sex of an unborn baby to the parents-to-be and their loved ones is a special moment all around.

Gender reveals have the potential to be absolutely beautiful, but they also can have what it takes to result in disaster. 

I wish I could say that this is not true, but, as of 2020, extreme gender reveals have accounted for at least six deaths, one missing person, and over 20 minor injuries. Not only this, but around 69,754 acres of land have been destroyed in wildfires ignited by gender reveals. Gender reveals have been to blame for plane crashes, car fires, and damage and loss of property including automobiles, homes, and commercial buildings. 

There is absolutely no reason why there should be a stunt that’s insane enough to kill somebody or start a wildfire, just to find out the sex of a baby. Of course, it is a beautiful thing to appreciate life. That will always be true, but that’s what birthdays are for. Sure, smaller gender reveals can be an amazing way to celebrate the life growing inside the mother, but they tend to get blown out of proportion. 

The incident that served as a catalyst for my research was something I saw on Instagram via activist Matt Bernstein. I didn’t know the extent to which these parties had escalated until I came across an image of what I thought to be a chicken soaked in pink paint but was in reality a pigeon that had been used in a gender reveal. It had been dyed pink with toxic dye, and it was found by a man behind a Shake Shack in Manhattan.

Now, the pigeon is dead as a result of the ingestion of the toxic chemicals he had been soaked in as well as a cut down its side that had caused an infection. The police are investigating the case in hopes of finding the person who caused the death of an innocent pigeon. 

It’s not just this pigeon, either; surprisingly, squirrels, other birds, and domestic pets have been harmed by this as well. 

Obviously, a pigeon isn’t a human; I’m not saying that it is. But now, we’re standing by and watching people kill the environment, humans, and animals? I fear that it’s gone too far to go back. 

Another episode occurred in 2020, where a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device was used in a gender reveal party and caused a wildfire to emerge in Los Angeles, killing at least one firefighter and burning 20,000 acres of land. 

The following year, in a different case, another man was killed, and his brother was severely injured. 

Learning the gender of your baby should be a happy moment for everybody, not the means for a funeral. We’re bringing life into the world, not taking it out. 

It’s gone too far, and it needs to stop. It’s as simple as that. 

You can have a party to announce the sex. You are entitled to that, but you’re not entitled to take the lives of innocent people and animals.