Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union give incredibly moving advice to other parents of trans children

Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union gave amazing advice to parents of trans children. The NBA legend and the actress are parents to 14-year-old Zaya Wade, who came out as transgender two years ago. Wade and Union have been vocal about trans rights and standing up for the LGBTQ community. Both were in attendance at the 2022 Met Gala in New York City this week when Wade was asked what drives him to keep fighting for his daughter's rights. “Being a father… is to make sure that you sit back and see what it is in life that they want to do and try to go there with them, and try to help them, mold them into who it is they want to be,” he said, reported Pink News.

The couple was then asked what advice they would give to parents with trans kids. Dwayne Wade recalled seeing his daughter for the first time and urged other parents to recall that feeling and channel that into accepting their children. “The moment when you were in the hospital and you grabbed your daughter and you looked at your daughter, all the emotions that went through your mind and how much love filled your heart… don’t let that ever leave you," the NBA star said. “As parents, we find our mini-me's and we try to make them just like us, but our kids are going to be who they are and it’s our job to help mold them.” Union chimed in, “And we believe them when they tell us who they are!”

The theme of the Met Gala was "Gilded Glamour." Union donned a silver Versace gown with a dramatic trans and red floral corsage at the waist while Wade wore a white Versace suit with no shirt underneath at the Met Gala. Union explained her dress in the context of the theme. “When you think about the Gilded Age and Black and brown people in this country, this country is built off of our backs, our blood, sweat, and tears," she said. “So we added these red crystals to represent the blood spilled during the accumulation of gross wealth by a few during the Gilded Age, off of the backs of Black people and people of color in this country.”

The duo has been vocal about trans rights. Wade said it was Zaya who really opened his eyes to the issues of the LGBTQ+ community after she came out. “I didn’t know anything, really wasn’t knowledgeable about the LGBTQ+ community,” he told TODAY’s Craig Melvin. “What it has done is it opened my eyes and my ears to something greater and bigger than I, and my daughter has allowed us gracefully to be her support system.” He also praised her courage and described her as the strong one in their family. "She’s a hero. It’s my wife, it’s our family’s job to make sure that we listen to her,” said Wade. Union said she's aware that there are "jerks" in every walk of life but warned anyone who ever tried to hurt her daughter. "We function from a place of truth in our household. But if you come at us, oh, be very prepared,” said Union.

Trans kids and families of trans kids are being targeted by conservative governments across America in the form of state laws recently. As we reported earlier this year, Texas governor Greg Abbott announced that he would criminalize gender-confirming care for transgender kids and consider it child abuse. Governor Abbott said that parents providing gender-affirming care will be prosecuted as child abusers. Gabrielle Union called out the move. “This is where we are,” she tweeted. “We shot past dangerous and horrific a long time ago. The rubber has hit the road so who is standing shoulder to shoulder in this fight?” 

If you're trans and are being subjected to abuse, or need any help, please reach out to TRANS LIFELINE at 877-330-6366.