The latest battle between Dwyane Wade and his ex, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, over their daughter got a bit ugly. TMZ reports it has obtained documents where Dwyane, 40, claimed it was in Zaya Wade’s “best interest” that the 15-year-old legally changes her name and gender, despite the objection Siohvaughn, 41, filed at the start of November. “A court order affirming her identity will allow Zaya to live more comfortably and honestly in all aspects of her life — from simple introductions and food orders to applying for a driver’s license and filling out college applications,” Wade reportedly writes in the docs.
“This petition is about allowing Zaya to take on the milestones of being a young adult with confidence and joy,” the documents reportedly say. Wade’s legal filing also took a shot at Siohvaughn’s claiming that he pressured Zaya to change her gender in order “to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received.” Wade’s documents said, “Siohvaughn’s allegations are libelous at their core and are, at best, nonsensical. Dwyane filed this Petition because Zaya asked him to.”
Siohvaughn argued in her filings that Zaya, who is trans, should wait until “the age of majority” to change her name and gender. “There are multiple factors to be considered by the Court in determining the requests to change the minor child’s name and gender. The minor child is fifteen and one-half years old,” she wrote. Dwyane responded to the allegations that he was “pressuring” Zaya with an Instagram statement.
While I’m on a life-changing trip to our motherland, Africa, I’ve received a social media post about me forcing our 15-year-old child to be someone she’s not and to do something against her will,” he wrote. “I’ve given [Siohvaughn] the opportunity to reach out to Zaya’s teachers, doctors, and therapist over the years and even meet her friends, so she could get her own understanding of our child’s need for her LIFE! She won’t do it!”
Dwyane alleged that his ex-wife “has not been to a school, recital, graduation, school dance, play date, practice, parent-teacher conference, etc. and Zaya has given her every opportunity to try to get to know her. She won’t do it!” Wade also claimed that his ex has “yet to …make any sacrifice or effort to leave her own home to participate in her children’s lives in over a decade. Zaya is not that same 3-year-old child anymore, and she’s screaming that to the world, but most importantly, to her mother!”