Dwyane Wade's daughter Zaya Wade makes red carpet debut
Hello, world! Dwyane Wade's daughter Zaya Wade made her red carpet debut alongside her dad and stepmom Gabrielle Union at the 2020 Truth Awards on Saturday, March 7.
The trio rocked custom Richfresh suits as they showed a united front while posing for photos at the star-studded event. This is the 12-year-old's first public event since the family announced in February that Zaya had chosen to express her gender identity as a girl.
"Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade!" the retired NBA player wrote on Instagram alongside an image from their night out. "Last night was Zaya’s first red carpet and we couldn’t have been prouder of how she handled the questions that were asked of her. She has emerged as one of the young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community. #truthawards."
"It was an EPIC night filled with so much love & a real sense of community," Union echoed on Instagram. "It was important for Zaya to be a part of such a beautiful night & reminding her of all the love & support she has. We were moved to tears so many times throughout the night. So much gratitude."
"We keep moving forward," she added in a separate post. "We keep leading with love, light, and hope for a better more inclusive world. Stay put and stay mad if you want. We keep it pushing. Always."
These uplifting messages should come as no surprise to fans, as Wade and Union have been Zaya's biggest fans from the very beginning.
"Once Zaya ... 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.' I would love for you guys to call me Zaya," the Miami Heat alum said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in February.
"We take our roles and our responsibility as parents very seriously," he continued. "When a child comes home with a question, when a child comes home with an issue, when a child comes home with anything, it's our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can -- and that doesn't change because sexuality's now involved in it."
The Olympian revealed that Union reached out to the cast of "Pose" as well as others in the LGBTQ+ community for guidance and to better understand how to be better allies for their child.
"Myself and my family, we love the fact that she doesn't have to hide who she is," Wade told "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts in February. "She is our leader."
"Zaya started doing more research. She was the one that sat down with us as a family and said, 'Hey I don't think I'm gay.' And she went down the list and said, 'This is how I identify myself -- I identify myself as a young lady. I think I'm a straight trans, because I like boys,'" he elaborated. "It was a process for us to sit down with our daughter and find out who she is and what she likes and not put something on her. We decided to listen to her and she's leading us on this journey."
