Zaya recently came to her parents and asked to be referred to by the pronouns “she” and “her,” and that her parents don’t use her given name, Zion.
Wade and wife, actress Gabrielle Union, have stood by and encouraged Zaya during her transition by doing research and having discussions.
“It was a process for us to sit down with our daughter and find out who she is and what she likes and not put something on her — we decided to listen to her and she’s leading us on this journey,” Wade recently told “Good Morning America.”
In a recent interview with Ellen, Wade recalled the moment Zaya came out as transgender to him and his wife, Gabrielle Union.
“Zaya started doing more research. She was the one that sat down with us as a family and said, ‘Hey, I don’t think I’m gay.’ And she went down the list and said, you know, this is how I identify myself, this is my gender identity. I identify myself as a young lady. I think I’m a straight trans, because I still like boys,'” Wade said in the interview that recently aired. “So it was a process for us to sit down with our daughter and find out who she is and what she likes and not put something on her because as parents, we put our hopes and we put our fears on our kids. And with Zaya, we decided to listen to her and she’s leading us along this journey.”
“We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be, you know, her best self,” Wade told Ellen.
Zaya’s gender identity — and the family’s decision to go public with it — has sparked major controversy and social media conversations across all spectrums.
“People are saying that this kid is too young to transition but it’s like…if you were born thinking that you are a girl in a boy’s body, how old do you have to be to keep knowing that that’s who you are?” Cardi B said.
She went on to say: “Let people find their happiness, especially kids. Let them feel comfortable doing what they want to be.”
.@iamcardib shares her support for Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union’s transgender child Zaya. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/oCFE2a9NA5
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 22, 2020
Most recently Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz went on a transphobic tirade and publicly blasted Wade for supporting his daughter.
“All I wanna say to dwade son is: ‘GOD DON’T MAKE MISTAKES,'” read a tweet from Young Thug’s account. “But hey live your true self.”
Young Thug has since-deleted his tweet and followed up with one saying: “You’re gods best Creation.”
At the end of the day and the beginning of the next, the nasty insults from so called adults are pathetic and an expression of arrogant ignorance and insecurities.
