Dwyane Wade Uses 'She' Pronouns To Talk About Zion In New Interview

Dwyane Wade just opened up about raising a child who’s exploring her gender and identity and it’s so sweet and supportive

If there’s anything that Dwyane Wade (and his wife, Gabrielle Union) have made crystal clear on social media, it’s that they love their family so much. These two are well known for posting adorable family pics with both the kids in tow — Kaavia James, the one-year-old daughter they share, and Wade’s sons from a previous relationship, 17-year-old Zaire, 12-year-old Zion, and 6-year-old Xavier.

And something that both dad Wade and stepmom Union have been absolutely vocal about is their support for Zion as she explores her gender and identity. In a new interview that should serve as an example for parents everywhere, Wade explained a little more what it’s been like parenting a child who’s embracing her uniqueness in such a public way.

“You want to talk about strength and courage? My 12-year-old has way more than I have,” he began.

Wade continued, “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 was on. And I had to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘What if your son come home and tells 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?'”

As the interview went on, Wade proudly shared, “I’ve watched my son from day one become into who she now eventually has come into. Nothing changes with my love.”

This is the first time Wade has publicly used female pronouns to refer to Zion, but she’s been expressing herself publicly for a while. On Thanksgiving, after trolls started coming after a family photo that showed Zion wearing long fake nails and a crop top, Wade took to social media in her defense.

“Stupidity is apart of this world we live in—so i get it,” he wrote. “But here’s the thing—I’ve been chosen to lead my family not y’all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile!”

Step-mom Union has also gone to bat for Zion. In October, she posted an Instagram story that featured Kaavia James and Zion with the caption, “My girls.” The haters came for that, too, but don’t worry — Union had the perfect response on Twitter.

If you ask us, this is the perfect example of how to parent in a world where we’re no longer erasing the existence of LGBTQ+ people. More of us could learn from Wade and Union’s example.