Former NBA star Dwayne Wade took a moment at the GQ Men of the Year party to commend comedian Marlon Wayans for his fearless embrace of gender-bending parenting.
In an exclusive interview with Variety, Wade highlighted the importance of love and its role in fostering understanding, especially within communities where conversations about gender identity may be challenging.
“I think unconditional love allows us to step in and listen and learn of what we do not know and what we were not taught, especially in the Black community. I salute Marlon for speaking out and speaking up about this experience with his child just the same way as I’ve done,” Wade expressed.
“We’re just the voices that are speaking for our kids right now before they get an opportunity to grab that microphone and speak for themselves. I salute him.”
Wade’s daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender in 2020, prompting the family to make a move from Florida.
Wade, shedding light on this decision during an episode of Headliners with Rachel Nichols, cited the lack of acceptance and comfort for his family in Florida’s political climate regarding LGBTQ policies.
Zaya, despite facing challenges, has become a trailblazer in the fashion world. From featuring in Tiffany & Co.’s all-gender bracelets campaign to strutting down the runway for Miu Miu, she continues to break barriers in the industry.
However, not all aspects of Zaya’s journey have been smooth, as her mother, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, objected to Dwayne Wade’s petition for Zaya’s legal name and gender change, citing concerns about commercialization at a young age.
In a landmark decision, a California court granted Zaya’s legal name and gender change, officially recognizing her as Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade.
This ruling ensures that her official documents align with her gender identity.
Currently married to Gabriella Union, Dwayne Wade is jointly raising Zaya alongside their child, Kaavia James, 4.
Meanwhile, Marlon Wayans, newer to this journey, shared his experience of transitioning as a parent during a recent interview with The Breakfast Club.
“I gotta respect their wishes, and as a parent, I just want my kids to be free – free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves,” Wayans said. “The more you know yourself, the more you live your truth, the happier your existence. So if they can’t get that in a household with their father and their mother, how the f*** do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence? I’m just so proud of them for being them – but that don’t mean that I ain’t got jokes.”
Marlon Wayans’ eldest child, 23-year-old Kai, was born to him and ex-partner Angelica Zachary. Kai bravely identifies as transgender and has chosen the pronouns they/them.
Wayans also shared that adapting to the shift in pronouns has been a learning process for him.
