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Credit: John Sciulli/Getty Images for NBA 2K20Dwyane Wade is opening up on being an ally — along with wife Gabrielle Union — to their 12-year-old child, Zaya.
During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wade said that he and Union are “proud … parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community — and we’re proud allies as well.”
“We take our roles and our responsibility as parents very seriously,” he explained. “When a child comes home with a question, when a child comes home with an issue, when a child comes home with anything, it’s our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can — and that doesn’t change because sexuality’s now involved in it.”
The former basketball player spoke about the day Zaya told her parents she preferred to be referred to as “she/her.”
“Once Zaya, our 12-year-old…I don’t know if everybody knows, originally named Zion, born as a boy — came home and said, ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I am ready to live my truth, and I want to be referenced as ‘she’ and ‘her.’ I would love for you guys to call me Zaya,'” Wade said.
After their experience with Zaya, Wade and Union wanted to get as much education and information as they could, he said.
“So internally, now it’s our job to one, go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have,” he added. “My wife reached out to everybody on the cast of Pose. We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunities to be her best self.”
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