Florida family raising 'genderless' baby

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 Orlando) - An Orlando family is getting national attention for how they have decided to raise their baby.

Meet little baby Sparrow Dennis. Not a boy, not a girl, Sparrow’s parent refer to the baby using “they” and “them.

“Using they/them pronouns is part of the larger idea of giving Sparrow space of exploring gender without pressure or bias,” said parent Ari Dennis.

This Orlando family is joining  others across the country who are now raising their children in a gender-neutral way, giving their babies – what they jokingly call “theybies” – an opportunity to decide how they want to identify when they’re old enough to know what that means.

“Girl children are complimented on their appearance way more than boy children. I'm just really removing boy girl from the equation and just treating my child like a child,” said Ari Dennis.

The toys in the playroom are a mix of pink and blue, dolls and trucks, but Dennis doesn’t even think about that.

“I don't think do I have boys toys and girls toys? Are they 50-50? Are we even? I think do I have toys that build? Do I have toys that roll? Do I have toys that are soft?”

The decision to raise Sparrow gender-neutral came after the family found several “Theyby” Facebook groups. So Sparrow could grow up in an environment as open and loving as possible.

If you'd like to learn more about gender-neutral parenting, you can follow Ari on Facebook at Facebook.com/arinotsorr.