Retired NBA star Dwyane Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, consider themselves allies of the LGBTQ community, a responsibility they took seriously when their daughter Zaya opened up about her gender identity.
Wade shared some details of the night Zaya 12, told her parents she was ready to “live her truth” during an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” airing Tuesday.
“We are proud, when I say proud, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re proud allies as well,” Wade told DeGeneres. “And we take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously.
“So, when our child comes home with a question, when our child comes home with an issue, when our child comes home with anything, it’s our job as parents to listen to that and give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can. That doesn’t change because sexuality is now involved.”
The support for Zaya did not stop with the change in pronouns.
Wade and Union began to gather as much information as possible, tapping into their large number of contacts for guidelines. They even reached out to the cast of the FX series “Pose,” which has cast the largest number of transgender actors in recurring roles in television history.
“We just tried to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self,” Wade said.
Wade, a Chicago native who played for the Heat, Bulls and Cavaliers, currently is on a media tour to promote his upcoming ESPN documentary, “D Wade: Life Unexpected,” about his career as a 13-time All-Star, but he has shifted smoothly into life as a father of four. His and Union’s parenting skills were applauded by the audience and DeGeneres, who commended their approach to supporting their child unconditionally.
It’s also not the first time Wade and Union have used their platform to advocate for inclusion. In December, Wade appeared on “All the Smoke,” a podcast with retired NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, to discuss Zaya’s journey and transphobic comments made on social media at the time.
It was clear then and during the “Ellen” segment how proud and supportive he and Union have been to help their daughter.
“I looked at it and said, ‘You are a leader. You are a leader and this is our opportunity to allow you to be a voice,’ ” Wade said. “Right now, it’s through us because she’s 12 years old, but eventually it will be through her.”
