Retired NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade recently opened up about supporting his daughter Zaya, who identifies as a transgender girl.
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on "The Ellen Show" this week, Wade said that one day his 12-year-old came home and asked to have a discussion about using she/her pronouns and going by a different name than the one that she was given at birth.
"When our child comes home with a question, when our child comes home with an issue, when our child comes home with anything, it's our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information we can, the best feedback we can," Wade told DeGeneres. "And that doesn't change because sexuality is now involved."
Wade, whose upcoming documentary "D. Wade: Life Unexpected" airs Feb. 23 at 9 ET on ESPN, said he and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, are seeking more information to educate themselves about the LGBTQ+ community. Wade told DeGeneres that he reached out to the cast of "Pose," an FX series about LGBTQ+ African American and Latino dancers in New York City.
Wade said in December on the podcast "All The Smoke" that he has had to do some work on reframing his stance toward the transgender and gay community.
"As we say in the hood, it's ignant," Wade said on the podcast. "I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that's a little ignant. I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son comes 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?'"
He went on to say he had "watched my son -- from day one -- become into who she now eventually has come into."
On Tuesday morning, Union posted a video to Twitter to introduce Zaya, who was assigned male at birth.
Meet Zaya. She's compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It's Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people. pic.twitter.com/G2lLVdD2VT
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) February 11, 2020
"What is the point of being on this earth if you're trying to be someone you're not?" Zaya said in the video. "It's like you are not even living as yourself, which is the dumbest concept to me. Be true, and don't really care what the 'stereotypical' way of being you is."