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Retired NBA star Dwyane Wade's transgender daughter Zaya has officially been granted a name and gender change by a Los Angeles county judge.
Zaya's new legal name is Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade. The 15-year-old was born Zion Malachi Airamis Wade and came out as transgender in February 2020. Her father filed a petition for a legal name and gender change in August 2022.
He earlier supported her while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, saying:
"Me and my wife – my wife Gabrielle Union – we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community, and we're proud allies, as well."
Wade mentioned at the time that there are a lot of responsibilities people need to take on as parents and that they can give the best feedback to their children and the list now also includes sexuality. He revealed that Zaya once came home and told him and Gabrielle that she was ready to live like she is and asked them to use female pronouns for her.
Dwyane Wade was accused of exploiting Zaya for financial benefits
Dwyane Wade was accused of exploiting Zaya's gender identity for financial gain by his former wife Siohvaughn Funches. Court documents state that Funches was unhappy with Wade's petition to change Zaya's name legally for various reasons.
Funches said that Wade was trying to earn some benefits from the matter with the help of contacts and marketing opportunities with different companies like Disney. Funches was worried that Wade could pressurize Zaya to agree to a name and gender change to earn profits from the opportunities he received from different companies.
Funches also spoke about a meeting she had with Wade in April 2022, where he said that Zaya's name and gender problems can bring a lot of monetary benefits. According to Funches, Wade was aiming to make their child famous and endorsements and other contracts will also be attached to the entire plan.
Funches said in the filing that Zaya will have to face a lot of pressure from the media as her transition is now a public matter. She added that Zaya must decide to associate with companies regarding her gender by herself when she turns two and a half years.
Dwyane Wade responded to the same by saying that he would prefer Funches to support their daughter and clarified that Zaya's identity will help to avoid issues while trying to obtain official documents.
He also described Funches as a mother who was not with her kid at the right time and that he and his wife Gabrielle Union would never force their children to make a decision they were not satisfied with.
Who is Zaya Wade?
Born on May 29, 2007, Zaya Wade's parents Dwyane Wade and Siohvaughn Funches got divorced in 2010. Her custody was granted to Wade, who then tied the knot with actress Gabrielle Union.
Zaya is also active on Instagram with around 639,000 followers. Zaya also participated in Miami Pride.
Her father Dwyane appealed in court to legally change Zaya's name and gender in August 2022. He even mentioned that the court could file the petition without taking permission from Siohvaughn Funches.
