Gabrielle Union issues bold parental stance on supporting her trans stepdaughter Zaya amid public scrutiny

Gabrielle Union fully supports the personal decision of her stepdaughter, Zaya Wade, to identify as a trans woman. The actress said it is the sensible thing to do as a loving parent.

The Bad Boys II and Bring It On star shared this in an interview that came out on Marie Claire on Wednesday, highlighting that she and husband Dwyane Wade will stand by their children's decisions.

Union said:

"It's our job to be loving, compassionate, protective guides for our children, but their lives are their lives, and we have to respect that."

She went to say:

"Nothing we have done as parents feels revolutionary or groundbreaking. It just feels like common sense, kindness, compassionate. All the things that you wish your parents showed you when there's some aspect of your life or personality that may not fit down the middle of the road."

Zaya, 17, is the second child of 'D-Wade' with former wife Siohvaughn Funches. Their other child is Zaire. When the couple separated, the three-time NBA champion got full custody of their kids.

In February 2020, Zaya came out as transgender. While she has received a lot of scrutiny from the public for her decision, she has the full support of her family.

Apart from Zaire and Zaya, Gabrielle Union and Wade have two kids together, Xavier, 11, and Kaavia, 6. Wade is also the guardian of his nephew, Dahveon Morris.

Gabrielle Union shares a lot of things in common with Zaya Wade

Also in the Marie Claire feature, Gabrielle Union said that she and Zaya Wade share a lot of things in common, making their relationship rather seamless.

The 52-year-old mother described her relationship with her stepdaughter as nothing like with her other kids, saying:

"I think with the older kids, I'm friendly, where Dwyane is their homie; he's their friend. With Zaya, I feel like her motherly friend because we have more in common. We're both students. The things that we exchange are nothing I have with the other kids..."

Gabrielle Union said her treatment of her children is a direct result of her own journey as an individual, where she has learned to be confident and patient and empathize with the feelings of others.

It also helps, she added, that she has a good partner in Wade in looking after their children.