Former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, have earned praise for their continued support of their daughter, Zaya Wade, as well as their efforts as allies to the LGBTQ+ community and parents of a transgender child. The couple, who attended the 2022 Met Gala on Monday (May 2), were asked to offer advice to other parents of transgender children, with each sharing how they’ve approached nurturing Zaya along her own journey.
“Just being a father and just seeing our child grow up every day and doing what you’re supposed to be doing as a parent,” said the three-time NBA champion. “It’s to make sure that you sit back and see what it is in life that they want to do, and try to go there with them, and try to help them, mold them into what it is they want to be and who they want to be.”
“So, we’re just doing our part as parents,” Wade continued. “We love our kids. We get to see them every day. That’s what people on the outside don’t get to see, but we know them and we see them all the time.” Union also offered a tip, adding, “And we believe them when they tell us who they are.”
When asked what advice he would offer to a father upon finding out their child is trans, Wade said that the love they had for their child at birth should remain the same, regardless of their identity. “I would say, the moment when you were in the hospital and you grabbed your daughter and you looked at your daughter, and all the things that went through your mind, all the emotions that went through your mind, how much love filled your heart at that moment. Don’t let that ever leave you. No matter what.”
Dwyane Wade offers advice to dads who have trans children pic.twitter.com/sGvAj2xffw
— Variety (@Variety) May 3, 2022