Dwyane Wade Shares About Being a Proud Parent to His Trans Daughter

Basketball star Dwyane Wade appeared on Ellen DeGeneres's show this week to speak openly about being a supportive parent to his 12-year-old transgender daughter.

"I think it's what every parent should be is what you're being right now, which is unconditionally loving your child and supporting your child in whoever they are," DeGeneres said to open the conversation. "You're so loving and supporting of Zaya. What a special child she is."

Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, are leading by example in terms of accepting, loving, and understanding a child who is part of the LGBTQ community.

"First of all, me and my wife, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ-plus community," Wade said. "We're proud allies as well. We take our roles and our responsibility as parents very seriously."

The former Miami Heat player shared the story about how Zaya came out to her parents.

"I want to talk to you guys. I think, going forward, I'm ready to live my truth. I want to be referenced as she and her. I would love for you guys to call me Zaya," Wade recalled.

"Once Zaya came home and said, 'I want you to call me Zaya and I'm ready to take on this,' I looked at her and said, 'You are a leader. And this is our opportunity to allow you to be a voice,'" he added.

Wade and Union went even further and researched how best to support Zaya.

"Internally, now it's our job to go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have," Wade said. "My wife reached out to everybody on the cast of Pose. We're trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self."

Watch Wade below.