Dwayne Wade is an Oscar-winner, game show host, and NBA legend, but first and foremost, he’s a father. “When I hear my kids say ‘dad,’ my heart melts every single time,” he said in a recent interview on Today.
And Wade is a proud parent at that. He and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, are also activists, learning from and advocating for their trans daughter, Zaya Wade. Wade spoke passionately about the gift and eye-opening experience of raising Zaya, who recently celebrated her 14th birthday.
“It’s made me grow,” he said. “I didn’t know anything really, wasn’t knowledgeable about the LGBTQ+ community. What it has done is open my eyes and open my ears to something greater and bigger than I.”
In conversation with the NBC morning show, Wade added that Zaya “has allowed us gracefully to be her support system.” “She’s the strong one in this family, she’s the hero,” he said. “It’s our family’s job to make sure that we listen to her, we listen to the doctors, we ask questions. We formulate our own ideas of how Zaya should be, we don’t allow others to do that for us.”
Wade and Union have long been model allies to the LGBTQ+ community and affirming parents to Zaya, carefully navigating backlash to photos from their daughter’s birthday party and showing appreciation to Mike Tyson for speaking out at transphobic comments that have plagued the Wades.
Now, Wade wants to pay it forward, using the education he’s received via his daughter’s activism and identity to better the LGBTQ+ community at large.
“We’re trying to support the individuals and communities that are doing the real work,” he said. “We’re really focused on healthcare providers for the LGBTQ+ community — it’s about others more so than ourselves.”
Wade, who scored an Oscar for producing the animated short Hair Love with his wife, is also aware of the importance and power of his celebrity.
“One thing I have been able to realize is that my family and I are in a blessed position to sit back and actually watch our kids and look at them holistically,” he said. “We don’t have to put our dreams and hopes on them. We don’t have to say y’all gotta pay these bills because dad need help, mom needs help. We are fortunate enough to take a step back and allow our kids to develop and grow into who they are going to become.”
“It’s our job as public figures to help others think differently and see other sides of the world,” Wade added. “It’s not just one way.”
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