Expectant Dad Dies After Gender-Reveal Device Explodes In His Home

Al Donato
·Associate editor, HuffPost Canada
·3 min read
A New York resident is dead after a gender-reveal device exploded in his home. (Photo: Getty Images)
A New York resident is dead after a gender-reveal device exploded in his home. (Photo: Getty Images)

Yet another gender reveal celebration has left someone dead, with the latest fatality occuring before the party even started.

Mechanic and dad-to-be Christopher Pekny, 28, died on Sunday, after a gender-reveal device he was building for an upcoming party exploded in his upstate New York home. His younger brother Michael, 27, was present and suffered a serious knee injury, The Hill reported.

Speaking to the New York Times, their oldest brother Peter called the blast “the freakiest of freak accidents that I could ever imagine.”

An investigation is still underway, but New York state trooper Steven Nevel said the malfunctioning device was only meant to be a prototype for the final prop — at the end of the party, it would emit a blue blast that would reveal that Pekny and his girlfriend were expecting a baby that would be assigned male at birth, a detail Pekny learned last December.

“It wasn’t meant to harm anyone,” Nevel told NBC. “It was just an innocent prop for a gender reveal that went horribly wrong.”

It wasn’t meant to harm anyone. It was just an innocent prop for a gender reveal that went horribly wrong. New York state trooper Steven Nevel

This death is the second this month to be allegedly tied to a gender binary-enforcing stunt. It’s also the latest in an unfortunate trend of people dying in dramatic and expensive ways because of gender reveals gone horribly wrong.

In running these news stories — with Pekny’s tragedy being no exception — many publications have repeatedly pointed out that the creator of gender reveals regrets making them popular and how many people, especially trans communities, see gender reveals in a negative light.

In the wake of this latest gender-reveal-related death, Twitter users are pointing out some dark truths about the baby trend.

And some are sharing cheeky alternatives.

Hopefully this will be the last headline we’ll see in 2021 about a gender-reveal casualty.

MORE ON KIDS AND GENDER

How Canadian LGBTQ+ Youth Can Prepare Themselves Before And After Coming Out

Jason Momoa Talks Embracing Vulnerability And Challenging Gender Roles With His Kids

Man Killed After Baby Shower Cannon Explodes

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost Canada and has been updated.

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