A couple are raising Britain's first gender-fluid family, bringing up their four-year-old son as a 'person' and not a 'boy'.

Nikki and Louise Draven from Middlesborough do not believe in imposing a gender on Star Cloud, especially as neither of his parents gets 'hung up' on the gender they were born with.

Louise, was born a man but is transitioning to be a woman while Nikki was born a woman but identifies as both male and female and dresses as a man on some days and wears high heels, lipstick and padded bras on others.

Star views Louise as her mother, although she is her biological father, while Nikki – who Star calls Daddy – is his birth mother.

The Dravens, who married in a pagan ceremony in 2012, are believed to be Britain's first entirely gender fluid family.

'Neither of us gets hung up on the gender we were born as,' Louise, 30, said. 'We don't want our child constrained by that either. We're just an ordinary family being who we want to be.'

Star likes to wear make-up, paint his nails and plays with dolls and wears both girls' and boys' clothes.

Nikki (right) and Louise Draven (left) with their son Star, four, who they are raising not to be 'hung up' on a particular gender

When he starts school in September, he will wear a boys' uniform but has picked out a pink vest and socks.

And the youngster himself says he might grow up to be a man or a woman.

'We want to give him the confidence to be who he wants – growing up, we didn't have that,' Nikki said.

'We never tell Star he's a boy, we tell him he can be whatever he wants. We don't buy gender specific toys or clothes and we let him choose what he wears. Pink is one of his favourite colours.

Louise (right) was born a man but is transitioning to be a woman while Nikki was born a woman but identifies as both male and female

'He loves wearing leggings and, because of his name, he loves clothes with star patterns on.

'He loves Barbie dolls, dressing up and fairies – but he also likes toys considered as boys', such as cars.

'We use the words "he" and "him" but don't make any kind of big deal out of him being one sex or the other.'

Nikki said that although she is Star's birth mother, he chose her as his father by calling her 'Dada'.

Louise, 31, started living as a woman a year before Star was born and started feeling she was female from the age of eight.

The couple say they left Star chose who would be the mother and who would be the father. He identified Louise as his mother even though she's actually his biological father

'We don't tell him who to be. We let him lead us,' she said.

Nikki added: 'When we took Star shopping for his school uniform we knew he'd need male underwear because it's more appropriate for his shape.

'But he chose pink socks and vests and we're more than happy for him to go like that.'

Star's school has also been very supportive of his gender neutrality.

'They've said they want to do whatever they can to help. They seem quite pleased to have an inclusive family,' Nikki said.

Of course, the unusual family set up doesn't come without its pitfalls with the couple admitting that people do stare when they're out in public.

Star loves wearing pink and playing with dolls and chooses both boys' and girls' clothing

Two weeks ago a driver shouted at Louise, saying: 'I'd cut my throat if I looked like you.'

'It was worse when Star was small and Louise was first transitioning because people would point, stare and laugh,' Nikki explained.

The couple admit they've been subjected to cruel comments when out in public

'Sometimes they'd even follow us shouting insults. I'm not easily intimated because I was a bouncer in a gay bar, but Lou found it really upsetting.'

Despite the couple's best efforts to raise Star as gender neutral, other children are imposing their views on him.

'Star is only in nursery but has already been put under pressure by other children. He came home the other day saying, "I can't play with dolls – they're for girls".

'We sat him down and explained that anyone can play with dolls and that it's good practice for when he grows up and is a daddy. He said, 'I might not be a daddy – I might be a mammy!

'When we decided to raise Star as gender fluid we talked about things like other children's attitudes.

'Of course we had doubts – what would other people say, what trouble could it cause, would our son be bullied?

'But then we realised children always find a reason to bully other kids.

'When one boy told him he looks like a girl, Star told them he looked like the comic book hero Aquaman.'