KEY POINTS

  • Dwayne Wade expressed how proud he was of Zaya
  • Together with his wife, Gabrielle Union, Zaya’s parents are allies of the LGBTQ+ community
  • Zaya recently came out as a transgender
  • She asked for people to live their truth and not be scared

Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union are proud of how Zion, now Zaya, owned her truth and came out as transgender. Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres, the basketball superstar shared how their 12-year-old child courageously spoke to them about her sexuality.

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade welcomed a daughter via surrogate. The couple is pictured attending Magnify and Fox Sports Films’ “Shot In The Dark” premiere documentary screening and panel discussion on Feb. 15, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. Rich Fury/Getty Images

In the video clip published by TheEllenShow on YouTube, Wednesday, Wade talked about how proud he and his wife were of her daughter. He said that they support the LGBTQ+ community, and they take their roles and responsibility as parents seriously.

Zaya came home one day and told them that she wanted to live her truth, Wade shared to DeGeneres. She told her parents, moving forward to call her Zaya, and asked them to reference her as “she” and “her.”

Zaya was born on May 29, 2007 under the name of Zion Malachi Airamis Wade. Wade’s wife, the American actress Gabrielle Union, is not Zaya’s biological mother; however, she raised her as her own. Zaya is Wade’s child with his former wife, Siohvaughn Funches but upon parting ways, the basketball star gained sole custody of the kid, Stars Wiki reported.

Wade’s daughter is a member of the Sierra Canyon School cheering squad. Wade’s 12-year-old daughter has three siblings, according to Gossip Gist.

Zaya is further described by her dad as someone who is brave and smart. On her 12th birthday, Wade posted a picture of Zaya on his Instagram account calling her his mini-me. The basketball superstar, in the said post, expressed, how thankful he was for having the opportunity to raise and guide a child like Zaya.

Just like Wade, Union also sees Zaya as someone who is whip smart. Furthermore, on her Twitter post, she described her as someone who’s compassionate and loving.

In this cruel world, coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community takes a lot of courage. Although the modern world is more welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community, there are still some who refuse to accept this truth.

Wade said, in his interview with DeGeneres, that he and his wife were gathering as much information as they could to ensure that they provide their child the opportunity to be her best self, CNN reported.

As for Union and Wade, their stand is to listen to your children; love and respect them for who they are. For those who are still finding the courage to live their truth, here are some words of enlightenment from Zaya.

Zaya had inspired everyone to be brave and “live your truth.”

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