Okay, gender reveal parties can be pretty problematic because it imposes gender stereotypes onto an infant months before they’re even born. But if you want to throw a party for your unborn child, make sure you’re not putting people in danger like this wildfire incident in Arizona.
The US Forest Service released a video from 2017 which shows the moment the wildfire started in Green Valley, Arizona. The makeshift target had the words “Boy or Girl” on it and it’s supposed to just explode colored powder. (Spoiler: It was blue.) But after it was hit by a bullet, a huge fire also started and you can hear someone shouting “Start packing up!” as it spreads.
The fire burned 46,991 acres of owned by Arizona, federal agencies, and private landowners. It also spread to the nearby Coronado National Forest.
Dennis Dickey, an off-duty US Border Patrol agent, admitted to shooting the target with a high-powered rifle. Aside from the colored powder, he said that they used Tannerite, a dangerous explosive, for the gender reveal target. During his hearing, he repeatedly told the judge it was “a complete accident.”
He brought a gun and a highly-explosive box in the middle of a grassland. That’s already a recipe for disaster.
Dickey was sentenced to fiver years’ probation for a misdemeanor violation of US Forest Service regulations. He was also ordered to pay over $8 million in restitution.
Again, gender reveal parties create expectations on the unborn baby, and later defines a set of limitations and qualities for the kids. The latter can create an environment wherein girls should be feminine, boys should be masculine—no in-between.
So instead of throwing a gender reveal party, just do a baby shower and serve rainbow-colored cake to people—it’s the most gender-neutral thing to do. Plus, it doesn’t cause wildfires.
[CNN]
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
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