Sports fans largely consider Dwayne Wade one of the best basketball plays in recent history. However, these days many think of him as the proud father of Zaya Wade. This is because since the spotlight found Zaya, Dwayne and his wife, Gabrielle Union, have been staunch supporters of her. First, though, fans should note that Gabrolle is Zaya’s stepmother. Her mother is Siohvaughn Funches. She and Dwayne Wade were married from 2002 until 2010. Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union tied the knot in 2014.
Zaya was born in 2007. Since Dwayne Wade and Siohvaughn separated, Zaya has lived with Dwayne and Gabrielle. In addition, Dwayne has three other kids, one of which is with Gabrielle Union. He is also the legal guardian of one of his nephews. As most people know, Zaya Wade is transgender. She came out a couple of years ago and has been a public figure ever since. Of course, there has been controversy directed at the child. However, her parents support her, and she has received many kind words from other LGBT+ advocates. Zaya and her family also recently crossed a substantial legal hurdle that gives them a reason to celebrate.
Here’s a look into who Zaya Wade is and why she sparks so much conversation.
When Did Zaya Wade Come Out
Coming out and admitting your truth can be challenging for anyone to do. For Zaya, she came out publicly as transgender in 2020. Of course, the topic of transgender individuals wasn’t new at the time, but it still sparked some controversy. It was Dwayne Wade himself who announced that his child was indeed trans. This happened in February of that year, and he spoke about fearing the hate she may receive. Dwayne Wade’s daughter made her red carpet debut the next month at the Truth Awards. More recently, the basketball star even said he fears her safety whenever she leaves the house.
Since coming out as transgender, Zaya Wade has not only faced some backlash. She has been an inspiration. Of course, being only 15 currently, there is only so much she can say herself. However, Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union have done a great job supporting Zaya and speaking about transgender rights. More recently, the couple received an award at the NAACP Image Awards. In their speech, they talked about how LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people, are often left out of the conversation about equality. Their speech was seen by many as a call to action for inclusion.
Zaya Wade’s Legal Gender Change
In February of this year, the news broke that a judge granted Dwayne Wade’s daughter a huge legal victory. Zaya Wade is now legally her name. In addition, the young girl was granted a legal gender transition. This means that her birth certificate reflects her life as a girl instead of her identity before transitioning. The ruling was filed in a Los Angeles superior court. For the most part, the world seems accepting of this legal change for Zaya.
Despite general acceptance of Dwayne Wade’s daughter’s legal name and gender change, some critics have stated Zaya and her parents should have waited a few more years until she turned 18. One notable example of this was when actress LisaRaye McCoy spoke about this on her Fox Soul show and expressed doubt that this was even legally possible. In addition, of course, since before the legal gender and name change, rapper Lil Boosie has been a major detractor for not only Zaya but the LGBTQ+ community in general.
What Does Zaya’s Mother Say
Siohvaughn Funches, Zaya’s mother, has been outspoken against Zaya’s transitioning for a while now. While she hasn’t seemed hateful, she has expressed concerns that Dwayne and Gabrielle are using their child. She said as recently as last year that Dwayne is profiting from his daughter’s newfound fame. However, the ex-NBA player responded by saying she has had numerous opportunities to get to know Zaya, including speaking to her therapists and doctors and getting to know her friends. According to Dwayne, Siohvaugn has had no interest in doing so. He also stated that his ex-wife tried something similar some time ago that caused significant harm to their children.
Of course, Siohvaughn also has support in the media. Many feel she should have some say in their daughter’s public life. No one is sure why the former couple has such a contentious relationship, but it does seem that she is more traditional in her beliefs and may not be understanding even if she was in Zaya’s life more. It’s also unclear how often Zaya and her mother actually speak. She first spoke out about the idea of a legal name change back in November of 2022. It’s not uncommon for parents to not be accepting when it comes to having a transgender child, but hopefully, Siohvaughn will someday come to fully accept her daughter.