Sexuality Should Not Change How We Support Our Kids – Dwyane Wade

Popular Basketballer, Dwyane Wade has come out to say that he is proud of his 12-year-old child’s gender identity after his boy recently came out as transgender.

Speaking recently during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dwyane said it was a happy moment for him when Zaya, born Zion, came to him and wife Gabrielle Union to speak about his gender identity.

According to him, it is the job of the parents to listen to their kids and support them as much as they can.

He added that he told Zaya that she is a leader and he would allow her the opportunity to be a voice that speaks to others going through the same thing.

His words, “First of all, me and my wife Gabrielle, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud allies as well. We take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously. So when our child comes home with a question, our child comes home with an issue, our child comes home with anything, it’s our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information we can, to give the best feedback we can. And that doesn’t change because sexuality is now involved in it.”

“Once Zion came home and said “call me Zaya” and was ready to take on this, I looked at her and said, “You are a leader. It’s our opportunity to allow you to be a voice”. Right now it’s through us, because she’s 12 years old, but eventually, it will be through her.”

Do you agree?

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful college basketball career with the Marquette Golden Eagles, Wade was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Heat. In his third season, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States men’s basketball team, commonly known as the “Redeem Team”, in scoring and helped them capture the gold medal. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title.

With LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade helped guide Miami to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. After playing for the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade finished his playing career with Miami in 2018. A 13-time NBA All-Star, Wade is Miami’s all-time leader in points, games, assists, steals, shots made and shots taken.

Wade was born the second of two children to JoLinda and Dwayne Wade Sr. in Chicago, Illinois, on January 17, 1982. A spelling mistake on his birth certificate eventually appealed to his parents, who kept his name as “Dwyane.” JoLinda had already had two children when she married Wade’s father, and had Dwyane and his older sister, Tragil with him. The pair separated when Wade was four months old. Wade described his early childhood in the South Side of Chicago as trying.