Dwyane Wade tells parents of transgender children to let them ‘be who they are’

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have one piece of advice for parents of transgender children: Do your part as a parent and love your child.

The former Miami Heat basketball star and his wife attended the 2022 Met Gala on Monday. As the couple walked the red carpet steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wade spoke to Variety about being LGBTQ allies and supporting their daughter Zaya, who came out publicly as transgender in February 2020.

When asked what keeps him fighting to protect his daughter, Wade said: “Just being a father and just seeing our child grow up every day and doing what you’re supposed to do as a parent. It’s to make sure you sit back and you see what it is in life that they want to do and you try to go there with them, and try to mould them into what it is they want to be.”

The NBA star also offered advice to fathers who recently learned they have a transgender child. “The moment when you were in the hospital and you grabbed your daughter, and you looked at your daughter,” he said. “All the things that went through your mind and all the emotions that went through your mind, and how much love fills your heart at that moment.

“Don’t let that ever leave you, no matter what.”

“The one thing, as parents, what we do is we find our mini-me’s and we try to make them just like us,” he continued. “But just understand, our kids are gonna be who they are. It’s our job to help mould them and help try to push them in the right places that they want to go, but just remember that moment, what you said in that hospital the day that they were born.”

Union added: “And we believe them when they tell us who they are.”

The couple matched in Versace at the Met Gala, where Union was dressed in a silver gown with a red flower at the waist, while Wade opted for a white unbuttoned suit with gold buttons.

Social media users praised Wade for the heartwarming advice, with many taking to Twitter to share the parents’ loving message.

“They’re doing amazing,” said one fan, while another wrote: “Both great examples of parents who are creating a healthy environment to help let their kids be their best selves.”

Wade and Union were married in 2014 and are parents to daughter Kaavia James, three. Union is also a stepmother to Wade’s children, 20-year-old Zaire, 14-year-old Zaya, and eight-year-old Xavier. The parents have often been vocal about their support for Zaya, having previously thanked their teenage daughter “for leading them on their journey” as proud parents of a transgender child and teaching them about the LGBTQ community.

Union, 49, has also provided her own advice to parents struggling to accept their LGBTQ children in the past.

“As our children show up, it is our job to believe them when they tell us who they are and not impose our dreams, hopes, fears, and desires on them,” the Bring It On star said in an interview with BuzzFeed. “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.”