Parents at war over a transgender child who just wants to be ‘true to herself’ – so can anyone really win this fight? As Dwyane Wade’s ex tries to block daughter Zaya’s gender change, FEMAIL lays bare teen’s 12-YEAR battle to embrace her true identity

  • When Dwyane’s daughter Zaya, now 15, came out as transgender in 2019 at age 12, her father made it clear to the public that he lovingly accepted his daughter’s sexual identity
  • Back in August, the basketball player, 40, took the ultimate step in showing his support by filing a petition to get her name legally changed from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade
  • But her mother and his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, has now asked a judge to stop Zaya from making the swap until she’s 18, and accused the athlete of exploiting their 15-year-old daughter for financial gain  
  • Dwyane and his second wife, Gabrielle Union, 50, have been pretty outspoken about Zaya’s journey over the years, even sharing intimate details about the moment Zaya discovered that she was transgender
  • The couple has continuously shared their amazement over her confidence and bravery, with Dwyane once stating in an interview that she was more in tune with herself at eight years old than he was as an adult 
  • As he and Siohvaughn prepare to battle it out in court, FEMAIL took a look back at Zaya’s inspirational story – from Dwyane and Gabrielle’s touching reaction to Zaya coming out to the sweet advice Gabrielle gave her

When Dwyane Wade’s daughter Zaya publicly came out as transgender in 2019 at age 12, it marked the first step in a new phase of her life – one that she had been fighting to reach since the tender age of three, when she realized for the first time that she was trans. 

Every since Zaya came out to her family – and then to the world – she has had her father’s fully-fledged support. Not only did he lovingly accept his daughter’s sexual identify, but he – along with his wife, Zaya’s stepmother, Gabrielle Union – set out on a journey to learn as much as he could about the LGBTQ+ community.

He and Gabrielle, 50, have continuously advocated for Zaya, now 15, online and in interviews – and the couple has worked hard to protect her from the nasty trolls, cruel comments, and negative backlash as a result of going public with her gender identity.

Back in August, the basketball player, 40, took the ultimate step in showing his support by filing a petition to get her name legally changed from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade, as well as her gender switched from male to female on her birth certificate.

However, the former NBA star’s seemingly-unwavering support of his daughter’s transition has now been called into question by none other than Zaya’s mother, Dwyane’s ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, who is not only attempting to block her child’s legal gender change – she is also accusing her former spouse of trying to exploit the teen for financial gain. 

In court papers filed this week that were obtained by The Blast, Siohvaughn, who was married to Dwyane from 2002 to 2007, asked for an order that would ban Zaya from legally changing her name and gender until she is 18 years old, stating that she believes Zaya is being pressured into the permanent change by her father, who is ‘poised to profit’ from the transition.

Early on Thursday morning, Dwyane hit back at his ex on Instagram – slamming her claims that he’s exploiting their daughter, accusing her of ‘hurting their children’ with her lawsuit, and reminding the world of their bitter 2011 divorce battle, which resulted in him being awarded sole custody of both their children. 

When Dwyane Wade’s daughter Zaya came out as transgender in 2019 at age 12, she had her father’s full-fledge support. He – along with his wife, Gabrielle Union – tried to learn as much as he could about the community. They are seen in 2020

In August, the basketball player, 40, took the ultimate step in showing his support by filing a petition to get her name legally changed from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade, as well as her gender switched from male to female

But her mother, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade has now asked a judge to stop the swap, and accused the athlete of exploiting their 15-year-old transgender daughter for financial gain. Zaya is seen with Siohvaughn

‘Since this must be the new way of parenting, I guess I have to address these allegations here [on Instagram], which is a damn shame,’ he wrote in his social media statement. 

‘While I’m on a life-changing trip in our motherland, Africa, I’ve received a social media post about me forcing our 15 year old child to be someone she’s not and to do something against her will. These are serious and harmful allegations that have hurt our children.’

He continued his lengthy statement by referring back to the couple’s bitter divorce – reminding the world that he was given sole custody of the former couple’s two kids, Zaya and Zaire – and claiming that his ex-wife has refused offers to ‘reach out to Zaya’s teachers, doctors and therapist’. 

As the exes prepare to battle it out in court, FEMAIL has taken a look back at Zaya’s heartwarming and inspirational story. She is seen with her older brother, Zaire, step-mother, Gabrielle, father, Dwyane, and half-sister, three-year-old Kaavia James

‘She has not been to a school recital, graduation, school dance, play date, practice, parent teacher conference etc and Zaya has given her every opportunity to try to get to know her. She won’t do it!’ he wrote.

Dwyane first revealed that Zaya was transgender to the public in February 2020; she has since launched a major career for herself as a model and has become a budding social media star – gaining more than 603,000 followers on her Instagram account. And according to her mother, Dwyane only wants her to change her name and gender to help grow her career even further.

As the exes prepare to battle it out in court over their daughter, FEMAIL has taken a look back at Zaya’s heartwarming and inspirational story. Over the years, Dwyane and Gabrielle have been pretty honest and outspoken about the now-15-year-old’s journey, sharing intimate details about the moment Zaya discovered that she was transgender and how she shared the realization with her loved ones.

The couple has also continuously spoken out about their amazement over her confidence and bravery, with Dwyane once stating in an interview that she was more in tune with herself at eight years old than he was as an adult.

From Dwyane and Gabrielle’s touching reaction to Zaya coming out and the sweet advice Gabrielle gave her step-daughter to a breakdown of Dwyane  and Siohvaughn’s tumultuous relationship and their bitter legal battle, here’s everything you need to know about Dwyane’s daughter Zaya.

Zaya’s journey: How she realized she was transgender at age three and came out to the world years later – with the help of her dad, Dwyane, and stepmom, Gabrielle

Zaya (seen far right with her brother and mom) was born on May 29, 2007. She came out as transgender to her family in 2019, when she was 12 years old, and her father shared the news publicly with the world months later, in February 2020

He and Gabrielle, 50, have continuously advocated for Zaya, now 15, online and in interviews – and the couple (seen with Zaya in November 2021) has worked hard to protect her from nasty trolls and cruel comments over her sexuality

‘It’s our job to go out and get information. We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self,’ Dwyane previously said. He is seen with Zaya in March

Zaya was born on May 29, 2007, and first realized she was transgender at the age of three – however it wasn’t until years later that she found the courage to come out, first to her family, and then to the world. 

She came out as transgender to her family in 2019, when she was 12 years old, and her father shared the news publicly with the world months later, in February 2020, during an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres.

‘[She] said, “Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward, I’m ready to live my truth. And I want to be referenced as she and her. I would love for you guys to call me Zaya,”‘ he recalled to the talk show host of the moment she came out to her family.

And the athlete and his wife certainly didn’t hesitate in throwing their full support behind Zaya. The couple quickly set out on a journey to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community – and they even reached out to the cast of Pose, a show that famously features a large amount on trans actors in the cast, in an attempt to understand the use of pronouns more clearly.

He continued: ‘Now it’s our job to go out and get information, to reach out to every relationship that we have. We’re just trying to figure out as much information as we can to make sure that we give our child the best opportunity to be her best self.

‘Me and my wife, Gabrielle, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud allies as well. We take our roles and responsibilities as parents very seriously.’ 


Days after he revealed she was transgender, Gabrielle posted a video to her social media accounts that showed Zaya discussing her gender identity and the importance of being ‘true to yourself’ with her dad

‘Meet Zaya,’ Gabrielle wrote in the caption. ‘She’s compassionate, loving, whip smart – and we are so proud of her. It’s OK to listen to, love, and respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people’ 

The sports star also said on Watch What Happens Live: ‘[Me and Gabrielle] didn’t have a lot of information. We reached out [to the Pose cast] about pronouns. We wanted to make sure we didn’t get it wrong. We reached out about the pronouns making sure we said the right thing.’

While speaking to Good Morning America that same month, he explained that Zaya later told them that she knew she was transgender since she was three years old, but that it took years of doing ‘research’ for her to be able to voice it to her loved ones.

‘Zaya started doing more research. She was the one that sat down with us as a family and said, “Hey I don’t think I’m gay.” And she went down the list and said, “This is how I identify myself – I identify myself as a young lady. I think I’m a straight trans, because I like boys,”‘ he explained. 

‘It was a process for us to sit down with our daughter and find out who she is and what she likes and not put something on her – we decided to listen to her and she’s leading us on this journey. This is no game to us. We’re about protecting her heart and about protecting her joy and we have to support [our kids].’

He added that he and Gabrielle are just happy ‘that she doesn’t have to hide who she is’ anymore and that seeing her ‘walk around and be herself with a smile on her face’ was the best thing they could have asked for.

The basketball pro continued: ‘I knew early on that I had to check myself – that I had to ask myself questions. As I got older and as I watched my daughter grow I had to look at myself in the mirror and say, “Who are you? What are you going to do if your child comes home and says dad, I’m not a boy – what are you gonna do?”‘ 

Days after the announcement, Gabrielle posted a video to her social media accounts that showed Zaya discussing her gender identity and the importance of being ‘true to yourself’ with her dad, while the Bring It On star gushed about the  then-12-year-old’s ‘compassion.’

Gabrielle said on the show Peace of Mind that her step-daughter felt as if she had been ‘outed’ prior to Dwyane sharing her identity with the world, when online users began to speculate about her gender based on social media pictures of her

Gabrielle recalled how sharing a photo of Zaya at her birthday party in May 2017 (seen above) sparked furious rumors about her sexuality

Zaya asked in the clip: ‘What’s the point of being on this earth if you’re going to try to be someone you’re not?’ to which Dwyane responded, ‘Even when people are being mean, and even when people are getting hurt because they’re trying to be themselves? Even through that you still want people to live their truth?’

‘Yes. I know it can be tough, definitely, but I think you push through, and you be the best you. Even through hard times you gotta push through. It’s worth it when you reach that point of, yourself,’ she added. 

‘Meet Zaya,’ Gabrielle wrote in the caption. ‘She’s compassionate, loving, whip smart – and we are so proud of her. It’s OK to listen to, love, and respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people.’ 

According to Gabrielle, her step-daughter felt as if she had been ‘outed’ prior to Dwyane sharing her identity with the world, when online users began to speculate about her gender based on social media pictures of her.

During an appearance on Taraji P. Henson’s Facebook Watch show Peace Of Mind, Gabrielle recalled how sharing a photo of Zaya at her birthday party in May 2017 sparked furious rumors about her sexuality. 

‘As Zaya gathered more language, she was able to tell us about her identity. She was able to tell us about her sexuality. She was able to tell us, “I’m trans,”‘ she explained on the show.

‘And she says, “I’ve come out a few times. I came out to my teacher in third grade, and then when you guys posted that picture of me in Chicago at my birthday party.”

‘[The picture] is just Zaya standing next to her cake. And that picture was dissected on certain black blogs, and the comments were them guessing as to who Zaya was and why. She said, “It felt like I was outed, and I was just standing next to my cake.”‘ 

Dwyane later explained that Zaya told them that she knew she was transgender since she was three years old, but that it took years of doing ‘research’ for her to be able to voice it to her loved ones. Zaya is seen with her dad, step-mom, and half sister

Zaya previously credited her step-mom, Gabrielle, with helping her confidence grow. The teen gushed to People: ‘[She told] me that not everyone in the world and in the media is going to be truthful about what you look like’

Both Dwyane and Gabrielle have continuously shown their support for Zaya over the years, with Dwyane stating on the All the Smoke podcast in 2019, ‘Nothing changes with my love. Nothing changes in my responsibilities. So, all I had to do now is get smarter, educate myself more. And that’s my job.’ 

He also gushed about her during an Instagram Live in 2021, telling his followers, ‘She’s my daughter. She’s beautiful and she has so many other great qualities that she is tapping into that everyone is starting to see.’ 

The former Miami Heat player also opened up about raising a transgender daughter at the Time 100 Summit in June 2022, and he admitted that he’s ‘afraid’ for her every time she ‘leaves the house,’ after he was asked to share his thoughts on the recent laws banning trans people from participating in sports.

 The former Miami Heat player also opened up about raising a transgender daughter at the Time 100 Summit in June 2022, and he admitted that he’s ‘afraid’ for her every time she ‘leaves the house’

‘To me, it’s a joke,’ he said. ‘This is our life. We live this, so when you’re out there making rules and if you’re not experiencing this, if you’re not living this, that’s a joke.

‘Come live a day in my world with my daughter, come and see how it is to walk through this world as her. I just think we’re losing the human side of us, and as blessed as my daughter is to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house.’

Dwyane said his fears stem from the recent rise in ‘gun violence’ and ‘the way people perceive her,’ as well as ‘the way that people are making decisions in this world.’

‘It doesn’t make sense to me, right? We’re in this world right now where it’s like, “Hey, we’re learning information.” … But then it’s like, “Hey, don’t talk about this in school, don’t do this in school,”‘ he continued, seemingly referencing Florida’s controversial ‘don’t say gay’ law that prohibited any instruction about sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade. 

‘Why are we not talking about it? Why are we not educating our kids? Why are we not educating ourselves, instead of trying to close the book on it?’ 

‘You can’t close the book on what somebody wants, and how they feel they are. We’re not gonna close the book on anyone being gay, bisexual, transgender, we can’t close the book on that, and I personally don’t understand.’

He also praised his daughter’s confidence, admitting that by the time she was eight, she was already more in tune with herself than he was as an adult.

‘I went years without telling my chef that I don’t like cilantro on my burger – as an adult, it took me years to have the confidence to say that. My daughter, at eight years old, had the confidence to say, “This is who I am. This is who I want to be,”‘ he gushed.

He also praised his daughter’s confidence, admitting that by the time she was eight, she was already more in tune with herself than he was as an adult. He is seen with Gabrielle and Zaya


Zaya spoke out about some of the backlash she has faced online while speaking to People earlier this year, and she insisted that all the ‘hateful comments’ were not going to ‘break’ her. She is pictured with her step-mom, Gabrielle

‘As a trans person, there was a lot of hateful comments about how I should grow my hair out long or fit into a certain version of femininity, even though that’s not true at all,’ she said. ‘That kind of advice is just trying to break you, but don’t let it’

Earlier this month, the athlete also spoke about the decision he and his wife made to limit comments on Zaya’s Instagram account – in an attempt to protect her mental health and shield her from nasty trolls.

The couple made it so that you can only comment on Zaya’s posts if she follows you, after they noticed that people were writing unkind things about her, in comparison to her brother, Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade, now 20, whose followers would often speak about sports under his posts.

‘You know, Zaire’s conversation was about sports. But Zaya’s is about what a lot of people don’t even really understand and get,’ he said on the Today show.

‘We want to make sure that if she’s going to be on social media – she’s going to show people her life – it’s going to be the people that she wants that’s in her circle. 

‘Everybody on the outside, that noise on the outside really doesn’t matter. What matters is the voices that you allow in your circle. And so that’s the people that we wanted to follow her journey and follow her life.’ 

Zaya spoke out about the backlash she has faced online while speaking to People earlier this year, and she insisted that all the ‘hateful comments’ were not going to ‘break’ her. 

‘As a trans person, once I came out, there was a lot of hateful comments about how I should grow my hair out long or fit into a certain version of femininity, even though that’s not true at all,’ she said. ‘That kind of advice is just trying to break you, but don’t let it.’

She also credited her step-mom, Gabrielle, with helping her confidence grow. The teen gushed: ‘[She told] me that not everyone in the world and in the media is going to be truthful about what you look like.

‘I don’t have to believe everything they say. The only thing I have to believe is what I feel and what beauty means to me. I think focusing on inner beauty is the most important.’

Dwyane’s messy relationship with Siohvaughn: How their five-year marriage ended in a bitter custody battle as they prepare to face off in court once again 

Dwyane married his high school sweetheart, Siohvaughn, in 2002, and together, they welcomed two children – Zaire in 2002 and Zaya (born Zion) in 2007 – before they split later that year

After their divorce was finalized in 2011, Dwyane obtained full custody of the children – and in the interview with DailyMail.com one year later, Siohvaughn (seen with Zaya as a baby) detailed her agony at losing her two kids

Dwyane married his high school sweetheart, Siohvaughn, in 2002, and together, they welcomed two children – Zaire in 2002 and Zaya (born Zion) in 2007 – before they split later that year.

In a 2012 interview with DailyMail.com, Siohvaughn recalled falling for Dwyane at age 15 – long before he became a famous sports star.

‘He was like nothing I see now. He was very humble, very shy,’ she said, adding that she begged him not to join the NBA.

‘We had just got married and had a child. I wanted time to settle, to build as a family. I asked him to choose between his family or him and he chose his family.’

However, a year later, Dwyane decided it was time to focus on his career, and he signed an $8.5 million contract with Miami Heat, which practically turned him into a star overnight. And Siohvaughn says it was his success that ultimately led to the breakdown of their marriage.

‘When [NBA commissioner] David Stern called his name, that changed everything,’ she said. ‘Our circumstances were so drastically different. We went from living in in this two-bedroom apartment in Marquette to these places overlooking the ocean in Miami. 


‘I cried and cried. I remember being scared. Would they look different? Would their clothes still fit them? Would they still love me? I worried that they would think I wanted them to go away,’ Siohvaughn (seen with Dwyane) said

She said she believed that Dwyane was only awarded custody because of his money and fame, stating at the time, ‘I think influence had a lot to do with it. Celebrity had a lot to do with it. Money had a lot to do with it’

‘Everybody said yes to us. I was seduced, too. I lost sight of some of my values. The further I got into that lifestyle, the further I got away from God. I just woke up sooner than he did.

‘I was very sad because this was not the person I dated. This was my very best friend and I couldn’t reach him anymore – without question, it was because of the money.

‘I think Dwyane had been rejected a lot when he was younger and then suddenly people started cheering and clapping and wanting to be around him. I think he overindulged in that. It was disgusting to me.’ 

While she alleged that Dwyane was physically abusive towards her during their relationship, he later denied these claims in his book. 

After their divorce was finalized in 2011, Dwyane obtained full custody of the children – and in the interview with DailyMail.com one year later, Siohvaughn detailed her agony at losing her two kids to her ex after their four year court battle.

‘In the hours and weeks after, I cried and cried and I remember being scared when I’d see them again. Would they look different? Would their clothes still fit them? Would they still love me? I worried that they would think I wanted them to go away,’ she admitted.

Siohvaughn said the judge ordered she not contact Zaire and Zaya (then Zion) for a month as they settled in with their father – a ruling that horrified her. 

‘How devastating and traumatic for these two small boys,’ she said, while breaking down in tears. ‘Zion was a baby. To tell your baby that I’m going to see them in two days and that turns into two months. I can’t describe what it felt like to speak to them after 30 days. They were crying so hard they couldn’t even talk.’ 

One year after he split from Siohvaughn, Dwyane started dating Gabrielle. They tied the knot in August 2014, and they welcomed a daughter, named Kaavia James Union Wade, via surrogate in 2018. They are seen with Zaya and Kaavia in March

She said she believed that Dwyane was only awarded custody because of his money and fame, stating at the time, ‘I think influence had a lot to do with it. Celebrity had a lot to do with it. Money had a lot to do with it.’ 

In the months following the judge’s hearing, she was arrested for child abduction after she failed to give the boys over to their father at the end of a visit. While the charges were later dropped, Dwyane wrote in his book that he felt like his ex-wife that was doing her best to disobey court orders and prevent him from seeing them, alleging that she even lied about the kids being sick so they could stay with her longer.

While issuing a statement about his ex-wife’s latest lawsuit on Thursday morning, Dwyane once again brought up the bitter divorce battle, accusing Siohvaughn of spending more time speaking to lawyers than she has with her children. 

‘Siohvaughn has decided to be pretty much an absent parent to Zaya all on her own,’ he wrote. ‘As men, we get a bad rep for not showing up and being absentee fathers, well that’s not the case here because I’m ten toes down and I’m still going [through] the BS!

‘I will not sit on my hands this time and allow her to make a mockery of my dedication to my family. The high road has run out of real estate.’

One year after he split from Siohvaughn, Dwyane started dating Gabrielle. They were together for four years, but briefly split in 2013 due to their busy schedules.

During their break, Dwyane entered into a relationship with Aja Metoyer, and she gave birth to his third child, a son named Xavier Zechariah Wade, in 2013.

He then got back with Gabrielle, and they tied the knot in August 2014, during an intimate wedding in Miami, Florida, surrounded by their close friends and family. Together, he and the actress welcomed a daughter, named Kaavia James Union Wade, via surrogate in 2018.

Siohvaughn’s newest claims: Why she is trying to stop her ex-husband from legally changing Zaya’s name and gender – and a breakdown of her legal rights as Zaya’s mother 

In her filing, Siohvaughn (seen with Zaya) cited a conversation in April during which she claimed that Dwyane told her ‘that a lot of money had been already made and that additional money will be made in relation to our child’s name and gender issue’

Zaya (seen in October 2021) has launched a major career for herself as a model and has become a budding social media star – gaining more than 603,000 followers on her Instagram account

In her filing, Siohvaughn cited a conversation in April during which she claimed that Dwyane told her ‘that a lot of money had been already made and that additional money will be made in relation to our child’s name and gender issue.’ 

‘I have concerns that [Dwyane] may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies,’ she said. 

‘[Dwyane] told me that he intended to make our child very famous due to the name and gender issue and also informed me that there would be endorsements/contracts associated therewith. 

‘I am concerned that our child is being commercialized at a young age and also of the uncontrollable consequences of media exposure i.e. cyberbullying, statements and/or pictures taken out of context of our child, and the unwanted spotlight focused on our child.’

Unfortunately, the law is somewhat murky when it comes to divorced parents making decisions on behalf of their transgender children, and until a judge makes a decision on the matter, it’s unclear what the outcome will be. Zaya is seen with Gabrielle

She also claimed that Dwyane was legally required to consult her on ‘major decisions affecting care, welfare, activities, health, education and religious upbringing.’ But the Miami Heats star says he is entitled to make the decision on Zaya’s behalf, regardless of her mother’s input. 

Dwyane – who is currently on a vacation in Africa to celebrate wife Gabrielle’s 50th birthday – released a statement in the early hours of Thursday morning slamming his ex-wife’s claims, and once again bringing their bitter 2011 divorce battle into the spotlight. 

‘Siohvaughn tried a similar attempt over a decade ago (with equally damaging lies and causing irreparable harm to her children) and 13 lawyers late, I was awarded sole custody of our two kids as an active NBA player!’ he wrote. 

‘All I ever wanted was to have my parenting time uninterrupted, as I knew that it would be a very difficult time for our kids to navigate their new normal.’ 

However, he claims that his ex spouse rejected his attempts to ‘co-parent over the years’ and instead chose to engage in legal battles – writing that Siohvaughn ‘left her home to see more lawyers and has taken the time to see more lawyers since I filed for divorce, than she’s left her home to actually see or have truly spoken and listened to Zaya over all these years’.  

Unfortunately, the law is somewhat murky when it comes to divorced parents making decisions on behalf of their transgender children, and until a judge makes a decision on the matter, it’s unclear what the outcome will be.

According to Courts.Ca, it both parents don’t agree on a child’s name change, ‘The court will listen to both parents and decide what is best for the child. 

‘The court will consider: How long the child has used the current name, how the name change may affect the child’s relationship with both parents, how strong the parents’ relationship is with the child, what the child wants, and anything else the court considers important.’

A hearing has been set for December to determine whether Zaya can change her name and sex without her mother’s agreement. 

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