“Zaya Wade, I’m So Proud of You!”: Michelle Obama Praises Dwyane Wade And Gabrielle Union For Impassioned Speech At BET Awards

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union received praise from former First Lady Michelle Obama for supporting daughter Zaya Wade’s trans identity.

Zaya Wade was legally granted her new gender and name by courts last week, 3 years after the 15-year-old expressed her new gender identity. Born as a boy with the name Zion, Zaya has been in the news for this reason as a pre-teen.

The issue of discrimination against and mistreatment of trans people has long rocked the world. While the USA seems a bit more accommodating than the rest of the world, a lot of ground still needs to be covered.

For example, actor Elliot Page, who changed his gender in 2020, faces transphobia online every day. The same goes for most of the millions of transgender people worldwide. Zaya Wade has also borne the brunt of this over the past 3 years.

So many young black trans kids are forced into homelessness or end their own lives at a young age because they don’t have love within their household. To see Zaya Wade be nurtured and loved by her parents publicly is a beautiful example of what every black trans kid deserves.

— JD they/them (@jd_occasionally) February 26, 2023

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Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union receive praise from Michelle Obama for raising Zaya Wade

Dwyane Wade and his partner Gabrielle Union were given the President’s Award at the BET Awards 2 nights back. The power couple took to the stage and delivered extremely powerful words in their speech.

Gabrielle, in particular, was visibly moved by the momentousness of the occasion. Her moving words and manner of delivery were quite heart-touching, to say the least.

In their speeches, D-Wade and Gab both spoke about the importance of supporting black trans children and their life choices based on their own personal experiences. Such was the impact of their speech that former First Lady Michelle Obama took to Twitter to make express her feelings.

I hope you’ll watch this powerful speech by @DwyaneWade and @itsgabrielleu. This is what it means to show up for your child—and for all of our children.

Zaya, I’m so proud of you. You’re an inspiration for us all. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/diLQGr8HZE

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 27, 2023

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What lies ahead for Zaya?

Given that she’s only 15 years old, Zaya Wade will need to wait at least 3 years for gender reassignment surgery. These procedures have not been mandated for kids below 18 years of age.

However, it is not clear whether Zaya wants to get the procedure done at all. Many trans people live their lives without going through these invasive procedures which cause a lot of hormonal changes fundamentally.

Zaya will, however, be accepted as a female member of society legally. Given the support of her parents and siblings, she can live a fulfilling life as a woman.