Proud parents alert!
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have been open about supporting their daughter Zaya since she came out as transgender earlier this year, and now they're praising the 13-year-old for teaching them how to help her navigate the process.
On Thursday night, the couple presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series during the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards and they took some time to thank Zaya for her strength.
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“We stand as allies with the LGBTQ+ community as proud parents of a transgender child. Our daughter Zaya is leading us in our journey, and we’re doing all we can to give every one of our kids the ability to live their truth," Wade said during the virtual ceremony.
The former NBA player is proud of all of his children and wants them to feel comfortable being themselves, but he admitted that he wasn't sure how to best support his daughter when she initially came out.
"I didn’t always understand how to do that – but I want to thank Zaya for teaching me, and GLAAD for elevating the images and messages that accelerate acceptance in every family," he continued.
Union echoed her husband's sentiments and shared a powerful message about acceptance and the Black Lives Matter movement.
"[GLAAD's] mission means even more to us now as we raise all of our Black children. Black lives matter and Black trans lives matter. We are calling on all of our racial justice warriors out there to open your hearts and your minds to the LGBTQ+ community so that we can work together and empower each other and save lives," she said.
The event, which was streamed live on GLAAD’s Facebook and YouTube channels, will air on Logo on Monday, August 3 at 8 p.m.
In February, Wade talked to Ellen Degeneres about the moment his daughter came out as transgender.
“Zaya, our 12-year-old, came home — I don’t know if everyone knows, originally named Zion; Zion, born as a boy — came home and said, ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, and I’m ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I’d love for you guys to call me Zaya,’” he recalled.
The next month, Zaya made her red carpet debut with Wade and Union at the Truth Awards in Los Angeles.
During an interview with Self magazine, Union also revealed that Zaya is helping her reexamine what it means to be a woman.
"There’s no one way to be a Black woman. There’s no one way to be beautiful. There’s no one way to dress or to love your body,” she said.
A previous version of this story was first published in TODAY.com.
