Earlier today, Dwyane Wade appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss his 12-year-old daughter Zaya's transition. He shared the story of when Zaya recently approached him and his wife, Gabrielle Union, to inform them that she no longer wishes to be referenced with male pronouns or identified as Zion. Zaya's decision was met with endless support from her parents, who are now fully dedicated to educating themselves on how to be better allies to the LGBTQ+ community. "So internally it’s our job to one go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have," Wade said on Ellen. "We just tried to figure out as much information as we can to help our child be her best self.”
Now, Union is taking the opportunity to introduce Zaya to the world and commend her. "Meet Zaya," Union captioned a video Zaya speaking to her dad about self-acceptance. "She's compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It’s Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."
Following Wade and Union's public comments regarding Zaya today, they received an outpouring of praise from friends and fellow celebrities. Union took to Twitter to express gratitude for the support and remind everyone that she and her husband are still learning what true allyship entails. She wrote: "Huge huge huge THANK YOU to everyone whose dms I slid into, friends, & family who provided information, resources, love & encouragement. We are humble LGBTQ+ allies with ALOT to learn & grateful for all the support. We encourage yall to check us as needed. Again, thank you!"