Dwyane Wade’s Daughter Issued Legal Name & Gender Change Despite Mom’s Opposition
Dwyane Wade’s daughter was officially granted a legal name and gender change by a Los Angeles judge.
Dwyane Wade, 41, has successfully petitioned for his daughter Zaya, 15, to have her name and gender legally changed — despite pushback from her mother. According to documents obtained by TMZ for a February 24 report, a Los Angeles judge granted the legal changes, and her name is now officially Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade, per her wishes.
Dwyane, whose wife Gabrielle Union, 50, has been very loving and supportive of her stepdaughter, originally filed to make the changes in August of 2022. In documents, he stated the change to be “to conform with gender identity,” and had the authority to decide for the “petitioning minor” — against the wishes of Zaya’s mom, Siohvaughn Funches.
“Pursuant to the terms of the Final Custody Judgment, (Wade) has full authority to make decisions on behalf of the petitioning minor, and he is not required to receive consent from Ms. Funches-Wade,” the documents obtained by The Blast read. “As a courtesy, Ms. Funches-Wade has received notice of this petition.”
Related Gallery
Non-Binary Celebrities: Celebrate Demi Lovato, Halsey, & More Celebs Who Identify As Gender-Fluid
Zaya came out as trans back in 2020, and Dwyane publicly shared the news. “We are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we’re proud allies as well,” the NBA alum told Ellen DeGeneres in February of that year during an appearance on her show. “We take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously.”
He also added that his primary duties as a parent hadn’t really changed as a result of the news. “So when our child comes home with a question, when our child comes home with an issue, when our 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 now,” he said. Dwyane revealed that Zaya told them that, “I would love for you guys to call me Zaya.”
Gabrielle has admitted that she wasn’t fully educated on the matter when Zaya first came out. “We all had to educate ourselves because we weren’t,” Gabrielle admitted during a 2020 appearance on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast. “We didn’t understand the trauma and the harm that’s caused by misgendering someone.” As a result, they’re now committed to backing up their daughter and being advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community, she added. “We will never turn our back on our baby and we’re not going to turn our back on your baby either,” she said.