Dwyane Wade on Zaya’s red carpet debut: ‘Allow her to re-introduce herself’
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Dwyane Wade is continuing to show the world how proud he is of his child, Zaya Wade. The NBA superstar gushed over his transgender daughter, who made her red carpet debut Saturday night at the 6th Annual Truth Awards in Los Angeles.
He shared a photo on Instagram of a confident 12-year-old Zaya wearing a green-black-and-pink custom fit by Richfresh™️ as she struts for the camera like a seasoned model.
“Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade!” Dwyane Wade captioned.
“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 Truth Awards, hosted by Better Brothers LA, is an award ceremony honoring the accomplishments of the Black LGBTQ community and its allies.
Wade shared another photo from the event of he and wife Gabrielle Union looking on lovingly at Zaya, who is smiling from ear to ear.
“Last night was a dope experience for our family,” he wrote.
Fans and the Wades’ Hollywood friends praised Wade for his unwavering support for his daughter, and Zaya’s courage to step out into the world on her own terms.
“You my brother are living a life full of love and acceptance,” singer Tank commented.
“The universe will continue to reward your elevated existence. I pray that the hate, the ridicule, and any other weapons formed against you and your family will NEVER PROSPER! Love has an army too!.. Go Zaya!!
READ MORE: Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union gush as daughter, Zaya, sings her heart out in choir
The Real co-host Jeannie Mai wrote, “I STAN for Zaya and this FAMILY UNIT of LOVE.”
Better Brothers LA also praised Wade and Union for standing behind Zaya, whose public announcement as transgender has set off spirited debates online over the past month.
“Thank you and @gabunion for being such supportive parents. Your example shows parents how love their kids unconditionally,” the organization commented. “Especially Black fathers who sometimes have difficulty embracing their child’s identity who are living their truth. We see you, We support you, and we can’t wait to see what Zaya’s future holds #TruthAwards6.”
Last week, Wade and Union were doting parents as they watched Zaya sing during a choir performance.
Wade, 38, posted a portion of Zaya’s choir performance to his Instagram page under the caption: “J.O.Y. ~ A Feeling Of Great Pleasure And Happiness! That’s What Watching Zaya Sing And Dance Last Night Felt Like For Our Family.” Union, 47, also shared a photo of her Instagram Stories, writing simply “The joy!!”
After the gospel performance, Wade posted a second photo of Zaya posing with two bouquets of roses, yellow and red, and captioned it: “Enough Said” with a smiling emoji.
Zaya was assigned male at birth and was formerly named Zion, but now wishes to be referred to as Zaya and to be addressed by the female pronouns she/her. Wade previously spoke to Entertainment Tonight about his transgender daughter and why he chose to go public with his family’s story in his new ESPN documentary, D. Wade: Life Unexpected.
“We’re not the only family that deals with all the things we’ve spoken about,” Wade told ET. “We’re not the only family that had to deal with surrogacy, to bring our daughter into the world. We’re not the only family that’s had to deal with gender expression, gender identity, sexuality, with their child.”
“We understand the position we’ve been put in, especially in our community, and even though it’s not always a popular thing to speak out on issues that people are uncomfortable with or not as educated on,” Wade added in the interview. “But this is the platform that God gave me and my family, so we use it.”
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