It looks like NBA star Dwyane Wade is taking legal action to officially change the gender and name of his transgender daughter, Zaya. This is happening more than two years after Zaya announced that she is transgender.
The Blast acquired legal documents that show It’s Wade is asking a Los Angeles County Court judge to change his child’s name from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade, making the transition official.
Wade first described his daughter’s journey in February 2020. “First of all, me and my wife, Gabrielle Union, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re proud allies as well,” Wade stated on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “We take our roles and our responsibilities as parents very seriously.”
He also shared how Zaya came out as transgender:
“[She] said, ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, I’m ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I would love for you guys to call me Zaya. Now it’s our job to one, go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have. We’re just trying 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 shares Zaya and son Zaire, 20, with his ex-girlfriend Siohvaughn Funches. In 2013, he fathered son Xavier with Aja Metoyer. Wade also welcomed a daughter with wife Gabrielle Union, Kaavia, via surrogate in 2018. In June, the athlete told CNN:
“As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house. And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world. To me, it’s a joke. This is our life. We live this. When you’re out there making rules, if you’re not experiencing this. Come and live a day with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her.”