The interview between Michelle Obama and 13-year-old Zaya Wade has caused pushback in the industry. The teen daughter of NBA icon Dwyane Wade and stepdaughter to Gabrielle Union came forward last year to announce that she would be living as a transgender girl, and since that time, the Wade family has been the subject of criticism. They've banded together in support of Zaya, but after the teen interviewed the former First Lady, people like B2K's J-Boog and rapper Lil Mama came forward. J-Boog called it "demonic" and Lil Mama spoke to the "depopulation" agenda, and now Fox Soul's Cocktails with Queens are adding their two cents.
"Some people are not properly articulating how uncomfortable they may feel about a child being pushed—what they think, they think the child is being pushed to the front of the agenda. Pushed to be the face of this. If Zaya is one thousand percent okay with that, then I'm all for it," said Claudia Jordan before she was interrupted by LisaRaye McCoy.
"Or, Claudia, is people surprised or taken aback by the push of changing him to a her surgically," added LisaRaye. Claudia responded, "I think that... It's a lot. I feel like it's really none of my business but this is our job to talk about these things. When you're going through puberty early on in your life, it was so many thoughts in your head. I didn't know what I was supposed to be or what was normal. What are these weird feelings I'm having? And I mean weird to me."
"So, I just hope that there are no regrets later on," Claudia continued. "I want Zaya at the end of it to not feel any pressure. If Zaya ever felt like, 'You know what, I don't feel this way anymore.' Does Zaya feel this uncomfortable—this ridiculous amount of pressure to not be able to go back? Not saying that she wants to, but I just feel like it's such a young age to have so many, so much pressure on her shoulders."
That being said, Claudia Jordan doesn't believe that anyone should come down on Michelle Obama for encouraging and uplifting a child. "There should be no criticism for that," she added. Vivica Fox called Michelle and Zaya's exchange "beautiful" and noted that Zaya "is happy in the skin she's in." Check out a clip of the discussion below.
