Wade says he is proud dad of 12-year-old LGBTQ child

Wade to trans daughter: ‘You are a leader. It’s our opportunity to allow you to be a voice’

MIAMI – The Ellen DeGeneres Show released a YouTube video Tuesday showing Dwyane Wade said he is proud of his transgender daughter Zaya.

The Miami Heat legend recently told DeGeneres that he and his wife, Gabrielle Union, are taking their role as parents of a 12-year-old child, who is a member of the LGBTQ community, very seriously.

“Zion, born as a boy, came home and said, ‘Hey! So, I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, I am ready to live my truth, and I want to be referenced as she and her,” Wade said, adding that “once Zaya came home and said, ‘Call me Zaya!’ And I’m ready to take on this.’ I looked at her and said, ‘You are a leader. It’s our opportunity to allow you to be a voice.’”


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The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.