Dwyane Wade speaks out about coming to grips with having a gay son, says he had to look in the mirror after realizing Zion wasn't on the 'boy vibe'
Dwyane Wade just opened up about raising a gay son with a powerful statement.
Speaking on the 'All The Smoke' podcast with Matt Barnes, Dwyane shared, "I had to look myself in the mirror when my son at the time was 3 years old and me and my wife started having conversations about us noticing that he wasn’t on the boy vibe that Zaire [Wade’s other son] was on. And, I had to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘What if your son comes home and tell you he’s gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain’t about him. He knows who he is. It’s about you. Who are you?"
Dwyane and Gabrielle Union are raising 12-year-old Zion who he had in a previous relationship and has full custody over. Talking about what it is like to raise Zion, he said, “I’ve watched my son from day one become into who she now eventually has come into. Nothing changes with my love; nothing changes with my responsibilities. Only thing I got to do now is get smarter and educate myself more."
"I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that’s a little ignorant. I grew up with a similar perspective,” Dwyane said. “And, you meet people along the way that help you take those glasses off and put on some different ones. Look through life through a different lens. That’s what my wife has been able to do. So, it’s been cool.”
He also shared that his 12-year-old has more strength and courage that he has. "You want to talk about strength and courage? My 12-year-old has way more than I have. You can learn something from your kids.”
Dwyane also added, "This is the new normal. So if anybody is different, we looked at them as different. You know what I’m saying? The ones that don’t understand it. The ones that don’t get it. The ones that are stuck in a box. You’re different. Not the people that are out here living their lives, man."
Gabrielle and Dwyane have often faced backlash from fans because they support Zion as a young gay man, and that included them bringing him to the Pride fest in April that was held in Miami. Talking about parenthood he shared, "Whatever you want to do, it is my job to support you and make sure you have all the tools to be as happy as you are while you are doing it."