TRENDING

March is Women's History Month and today we'd like to celebrate by talking about a special girl—Zaya Wade. Zaya is the 12-year-old daughter of former Miami Heat basketballer Dwayne Wade, and she recently came out as transgender. 

"I feel like there was always something that I was meant to do," Zaya recently explained. "I eventually stopped looking for it and I think I found it."

It's no secret that coming out can be a huge deal, and Zaya celebrated that by making her first red carpet appearance at the Truth Awards on March 7. The Truth Awards were founded to shine a light on all the good that goes on within the African American LGBTQ+ community, of which Zaya is a proud member. Her dad, Dwayne, just hopes his family's story inspires others to feel comfortable in their skin. 

"We know there's other families out there dealing with their kid finding themselves and learning who they are," he said. "I'm not going to sit here and act like we have all the answers. I'm not going to sit here and act like before our child came home and sat us down, that we weren't ignorant parents when it comes to the world. When I say we're learning from our 12-year-old, we're literally learning from our child." 

Zaya has mentioned countless times that her family gives her unconditional strength. In fact, her stepmom (and Bring It On actress!) Gabrielle Union recently posted to Insta: "[Zaya]'s compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It’s ok to listen to, love and respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."

This family's support for each other is #GOALS!

by Haley Brown | 3/16/2020