Dwyane Wade says that when his daughter Zaya came out as transgender, it caused him to reevaluate his upbringing and his relationship with masculinity.
Speaking at the Creative Artists Agency Amplify event in Ojai, Calif., on Tuesday, the former NBA star sat down with fellow basketball player Chris Paul and manager Lisa Metelus.
When Metelus asked Wade about the «historic moment» Zaya He came out as a transgenderHe said he prepared for years for his son to come out after she described herself as gay on a school assignment at the age of 8.
«So I came home and all I remember is that my son was afraid to talk to me, like he was hiding in my wife’s arm in a chair,» said Wade, who is married to actress Gabrielle Union. “I think I’m that parent who says, ‘Hey, come tell me anything! I’m a great dad.
«And that was fear in my son’s face to tell me, so I had to check it myself,» he said.
“I had to go look in the mirror and ask myself, ‘Why was my son scared? Are you afraid to tell me about her?’”
He explained that he began to listen a lot, both to Zaya and to the experts.
“In a lot of work as parents, and as people, what we do is put our fears and everything on our children. And I guess he was doing that,” she said. «So I had to go look in the mirror and ask myself… What is it about my masculinity that has my son scared?»
Wade explained at the event that after keeping his family private on his social media, it was a Thanksgiving photo of Zaya that caused a stir among his fans.
commentators gave a quick reaction about the family photo of Zaya’s crop top and acrylic nails.
“The world went crazy,” Wade said. He added that she «obviously» went into protection mode and immediately publicly supported his son, but that he still had «a lot» to learn at the time.
He added that the most difficult thing for them as a family was the «rudeness» of the public.
“I became all kinds of things because I support my daughter and I am who she is. I have become gay, ”she said, mocking, adding with a laugh that he did have pink nail polish.
“I think the hardest part is excluding the world and excluding people who are not really in (our) circle,” he said. “But they have opinions and we are a family facing the public.”