Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union's daughter Zaya makes red carpet debut

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are continuing to be an example of the power of loving your children for who they are, not who you think they should be. On Saturday night, the couple walked the red carpet at the Truth Awards with Wade’s daughter Zaya, who came out in February as transgender. Saturday’s appearance marked Zaya’s first since moving away from her dead name and embracing the person she is meant to be. As always, the Wade/Union family looked fashionably fierce and fully committed to one another.The trio wore coordinating custom black, bright pink and green suits from Rich Fresh, a chic and powerful look that was designed by Zaya and made in only three days. The bold colourblock suits included some bling thanks to accessories from Lorraine Schwartz. Wade and Union both celebrated their 12-year-old on social media.“Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade,” Dwyane wrote on Instagram. “Last night was Zaya’s first red carpet and we couldn’t have been prouder of how she handled the questions that were asked of her. She has emerged as one of the young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community.”

 

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Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade! Last night was Zaya’s first red carpet and we couldn’t have been prouder of how she handled the questions that were asked of her. She has emerged as one of the young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community. #truthawards

A post shared by dwyanewade (@dwyanewade) on Mar 8, 2020 at 6:20am PDT

Wade and Union were invited to the Truth Awards, an event that celebrates accomplishments in the Black LGBTQ+ community, to speak about their longtime friends, stylist Jason Bolden and his husband Adair. “When our 8-year-old daughter Zaya Wade came home and said she has something to tell us, when she came out to us as a family, we admit we weren’t educated on the LGBTQ+ community as we should have been,” said Wade as seen an Instagram video shared by Bolden.“So, we immediately picked up the phone and reached out to our good friends Jason and Adair,” continued the NBA star. “They helped us navigate the right language to use, the questions to ask, and what to listen for. They also reminded us to make sure Zaya knew her community and felt the love and support inside and outside her home. From working closely with Zaya to design her rooms in our homes to making sure that her authentic self was represented and that her bedroom felt like a sanctuary.”Wade ended the thoughtful and inspiring speech by announcing that Zaya had chosen Jason and Adair as her godfathers, adding a bit of levity to the end of his emotional time at the mic. “We know how much money y’all make,” he joked.

 

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Last Night Our Friends Came Out to Celebrate My Husband & I! They Gave Us a Great Surprise Too at @betterbrothersla #TruthAwards To The Wades, Thank You For Always Showing Up, Thank You For Always Taking Your Light and Shining It On Those Who Don’t Have a Voice or Face In The Room. For That & Many Other Reasons We Love You!!! Zaya Zaya Zaya YOU ARE PERFECT??????

A post shared by Jason Bolden (@jasonbolden) on Mar 8, 2020 at 9:26am PDT

Union also spoke at Saturday’s events, purposefully keeping her comments short. “It was really important for Zaya’s first red carpet to be celebrating black excellence in her community, real allies show up,” she said, adding “It goes beyond tweets and retweets and a check here and there. You have to show up and show what actual leadership looks like. You need to know when to shut the hell up and pass the microphone like I’m about to do right now.”Saturday’s comments echoed previous statements Union and Wade had made about the importance of educating themselves and reaching out to members of the LGBTQ+ community to ensure they’re giving Zaya a safe home environment where she can thrive as her authentic self. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February, Wade revealed that he and Union had contacted friends on the cast of Pose for advice on how to help Zaya with her transition, explaining that the couple are her speakers now until Zaya is old enough to speak publicly for herself.“When our child comes home with a question, when our child comes home with an issue, when our child comes home with anything, it’s our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information that we can, the best feedback that we can,” Wade told DeGeneres. “And that doesn’t change because sexuality is now involved in it.”[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Tyrone finds out where 'Shady Baby' gets her grown looks from[/video_embed]