For months, Dwayne Wade and his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade have been in a heated court battle over their daughter’s best interests, Zaya Wade. Siohvaughn Funches-Wade took her ex-husband to court to stop him from legally changing their daughter’s name and gender. After a tough battle, it appears Dwayne Wade has officially changed Zaya Wade’s name and gender. While step-mother Gabrielle Union could not be prouder, some are telling her she needs to “sit this one out” after recently talking to ET about it.
At the age of 15, Zaya Wade has become one of the most influential trans people in the country. Since revealing her identity to the world at the age of 11, Zaya has become the face of various campaigns, received a ton of speaking engagements, and garnered a lot of recognition. Back in August 2022, Dwayne Wade petitioned to have her name changed legally. However, Zaya’s mother, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, disagreed with the idea and was very outspoken.
Siohvaughn Funches-Wade filed court documents to stop the process. Siohvaugn begged the court to side with her and force Zaya Wade to wait until “the age of majority” to change her name and gender permanently. Siohvaughn Funches-Wade accused Dwyane Wade of using their child to capitalize financially from company partnerships. Overall, Siohvaughn believes Dwyane Wade is encouraging their daughter to change her name and gender as a way for him to make money. Dwyane Wade clapped back, citing Siovaughn’s claims were “serious and harmful allegations that have hurt our children.” Wade also called out Siovaughn’s inability to accept their child stating, “Zaya’s life shouldn’t be put on hold just because her mother can’t accept her.”
Not long after Siohvaughn made the request, it was revealed that Dwyane Wade had full custody of Zaya Wade and was not required to communicate or negotiate with her about the child’s well-being. If you recall, D. Wade and Siohvaughn’s custody battle turned nasty, and due to her suffering from mental illness and financial issues, D. Wade was awarded full custody. According to TMZ, an LA County judge signed off on the new identity of 15-year-old Zaya Wade. Her full name is Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade. In addition, Zaya’s gender has been switched from male to female.
The news has social media fans torn. Many fans believe Zaya is too young to make such drastic changes, while others are in full support. Many are waiting for Boosie to head to VLAD and complete another interview discussing this breaking news. One person who isn’t too happy is Zaya Wade’s mother. While she hasn’t spoken publicly, she has made it very clear that she can not accept her child making such a drastic decision so young.
Gabrielle Union speaks on Zaya Wade being granted her legal name change (Via:@etnow) https://t.co/mDClIAic4b pic.twitter.com/2DOPiH6obN
— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) February 27, 2023
For Gabrielle Union, the moment is a major win for their family. While talk to ET at the NAACP Awards, she gushed about how they family celebrated Zaya and her win. Despite being very involved in raising Zaya, some people still feel like Union should not speak on the child since she is not her biological mother. “She should really sit this one out!,” said one person. Another responded, “Sickening and so disrespectful to that boys mother.”
