Dwyane Wade Fumes at Ex-Wife’s Attempt to Block Trans Daughter’s Name Change

Dwyane Wade publicly responded Thursday to his ex-wife’s claim that the former NBA champ is exploiting their 15-year-old daughter Zaya’s petition to legally change her gender and name.

Zaya’s mother, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, objected to the swap under the pretense that Wade was rushing Zaya so he could cash in on prospective marketing opportunities and contracts, including one with Disney. In court filings, she requested that Zaya be made to wait until she is a legal adult to change her name.

But Wade hit back in a lengthy statement on social media, accusing Funches-Wade of being an “absent parent” who has shown little interest in Zaya’s life until now.

“While none of us are surprised by Siohvaughn’s attempt to fight Zaya’s identity and her unwavering attempt to drag my name through the mud, I’m very disappointed that she continuously find ways of centering herself and HER needs, without regard to her children,” Wade fumed, adding that the accusations had “hurt our children.”

Wade claimed that a similar PR incident over a decade ago by his ex-wife resulted in an exhaustive lawsuit, ending with the former Miami Heat all-star gaining sole custody of their two children, Zaire and Zaya.

“This report came out while Zaya was in class,” Wade continued in his post Thursday. “This is a kid who has maintained a 4.0 GPA in honors classes while navigating all this unsolicited and harmful attention and debates about her gender and sexuality from those who are committed to not listening to her, much less even knowing her.”

Zaya came out as trans at the age of 12 and has since developed a modeling career and reputation as an LGBT activist.

“I’ve given her the opportunity to reach out to Zaya’s teachers, doctors and therapist over the years and even meet her friends, so she could get her own understanding of our child’s needs for her LIFE!,” Wade wrote of his ex-wife. “She won’t do it!”

“As a woman who claims to be a ‘good Christian mother’, I’ve yet to see her many any sacrifice or effort to leave her own home to participate in our children’s lives in over a decade,” Wade continued, calling Funches-Wade an “absent parent” who refuses to see their daughter past the 3-year-old she knew.

“This isn’t a game for my family and definitely not for Zaya,” he wrote. “This is her life!”

Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union have been widely praised by the LGBTQ community for their acceptance of Zaya’s identity and their ensuing allyship, including reaching out to the LGBTQ community for advice, using their platform to speak out against anti-LGBT bills, and publicly defending and affirming Zaya’s gender. They’ve also allowed Zaya to take the lead on her own self expression. In June, when Zaya reportedly didn’t want to celebrate Pride Month, the family instead offered financial support to other LGBTQ families.

But the attempts to understand and aid their daughter’s identity and path to activism are only part of the picture. They’ve also encouraged Zaya to focus on what’s important, like school, she has previously said.

“Being my full authentic self feels like freedom,” Zaya Wade told Logo30 in June. “Being out and open and truthful about who I am to myself and others is just freeing. It’s a beautiful feeling to have and hold and to be able to share with the rest of the world.”

“Being trans is one of the most important parts of me, and so to be an inspiration to everyone out there is always my hope,” she told the show. “But I also hope that I just finish high school, go to college, get my degree and also live a life outside of ‘Zaya Wade the trans person’ and be Zaya. Just Zaya.”

The couple’s hearing over Zaya’s legal change is scheduled for Dec. 12.

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