Dwyane Wade's daughter Zaya, 12, makes her red carpet debut after coming out as transgender
On March 7, Dwyane Wade's daughter Zaya Wade made her first red carpet appearance at the 2020 Truth Awards since coming out as a transgender in February.
The 12-year-old walked the red carpet alongside her proud parents, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union and the three of them confidently posed for pictures in coordinating outfits. For the occasion, Zaya donned a bright green tuxedo jacket with black pants, a pink sash and black boots. She wore natural sapphire necklaces and Ofira Jewels diamond band rings, both of which matched with her mother's accessories.
During the event, both Dwyane and Gabrielle made speeches thanking stylist Jason Bolden and his husband Adair for lending their support to Zaya.
“It was really important for Zaya’s first red carpet to be celebrating black excellence in her community, real allies show up,” Gabrielle said to an applauding crowd on the night. “It goes beyond tweets and retweets and a check here and there,” she said. “You have to show up and show what actual leadership looks like. You need to know when to shut the hell up and pass the microphone like I’m about to do right now.”
When it was Dwyane's turn, he took the microphone and spoke about how he and his wife were educated about the LGBTQ+ community once Zaya came out to them.
“When our 8-year-old daughter Zaya Wade came home and said she has something to tell us, when she came out to us as a family, we admit we weren’t educated on the LGBTQ+ community as we should have been,” he said. “So, we immediately picked up the phone and reached out to our good friends Jason and Adair. They helped us navigate the right language to use, the questions to ask, and what to listen for. They also reminded us to make sure Zaya knew her community and felt the love and support inside and outside her home. From working closely with Zaya to design her rooms in our homes to make sure that her authentic self was represented and that her bedroom felt like a sanctuary.”
After the event, Dwyane took to Instagram to share a picture of Zaya against a picturesque backdrop.
“Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade!" he captioned it. “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,” the former NBA player wrote. “She has emerged as one of the young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community. #truthawards.”