Dwyane Wade has legally made a request to amend his trans daughter’s name and gender.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, the former NBA star, filed with the Los Angeles Superior court that his 15-year-old child’s name be changed from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade.
The request also pursues that she be female in any and all legal documents moving forward.
Wade’s request also stated he has “full authority” in filing the petition without consent from Zaya’s mother and his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches. It does state she did “receive notice” of the petition “as a courtesy.”
In 2020, the former Miami Heat star told Good Morning America Zaya has known since she was three-years-old that she was transgender. He gave his daughter credit for educating himself and their family on what being trans means. “Along this way, we’ve asked questions and we’ve learned. But she’s known,” he said at the time.
Wade is now married to actress Gabrielle Union and they share a three-year-old daughter named Kaavia. The pair co-parent Zaya and Wade’s two sons–Zaire, 20m and Xavier, 8.
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Earlier this year Wade also discussed his daughter’s journey while speaking at Time 100 Summit. He stated he was “afraid” every time his daughter left the house. “As sad as it is, as blessed as my daughter is to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house. And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way that people perceive her in this world,” he said.
“With everything that’s going on in the world, it’s fearful as well, no doubt about it, but we don’t stop doing stuff because of fear,” he concluded.
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