Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union's 12-year-old daughter reintroduced herself as Zaya Wade on the Better Brothers Los Angeles 2020 Truth Awards red carpet on Saturday night. Retired NBA star Wade and stepmother Union, recently announced that Zaya identifies as transgender.
The proud parents each took to Instagram to celebrate their daughter's debut. “Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade!” wrote Wade. “Last night was Zaya’s first red carpet and we couldn’t have been prouder of how she handled the questions that were asked of her. She has emerged as one of the young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community.”
The trio coordinated custom Richfresh suits and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry as they stepped out together at the annual awards ceremony, which is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of the black LGBTQ+ community.
Union wrote that “it was an EPIC night filled with so much love & a real sense of community. It was important for Zaya to be a part of such a beautiful night & reminding her of all the love & support she has.”
In a spate of recent interviews, Wade admitted that he has “been a person in a locker room that has been a part of the conversation that has said the wrong phrases and the wrong words myself.” Since his daughter began doing research about her gender identity, Wade has committed to learning how to best support his daughter. "We're all about protecting her heart, we're about protecting her joy and to do that, we have to support her," he said.
