In a win for both the family involved as well as the transgender community, Dwayne Wade’s 15-year-old daughter Zaya has been granted legal action to change her official name as well as her gender. Because of this legal green light, the teen has changed her name from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade and is now legally female.
According to Los Angeles court documents, on February 24th, a county judge signed the approval of the request filed by the former NBA star in August of last year. Undoubtedly the family and Zaya herself are celebrating this monumental win for both themselves and for those also struggling with legal gender recognition.
Despite this victory, the road to reaching this triumph was hard-won. Just last November, Zaya’s mother, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, submitted an objection to Los Angeles County court to block this action from occurring. In the appeal, Funches-Wade believed that Zaya should wait until “the age of majority” to permanently change her gender and identity.
Furthermore, the mother stated that, “I contend that our child should be given the opportunity to decide for themselves at the age of majority if they want to move forward with changing their name and/or gender.” The mother also claimed that her ex-husband and Zaya’s father were using their child for profit through brand partnerships and sponsorships.
After the damning claim, Wade publicly denounced the claim on Instagram, stating that the actions being set into motion were done “in [Zaya’s] best interest”. The former NBA star also stated that, “While it certainly would have been preferable for Zaya’s mother to be supportive of this important part of Zaya‘s journey, Zaya should not be forced to put her life on hold while she waits for Siohvaughn to acknowledge and accept her truth.”
Adding to his rebuke of his former ex-wife, Wade also stated that he has “sole care, custody, and control of Zaya” and that the final decision would lie in his hands regarding her decisions.
Despite the pushback from Zaya’s mother, there is no doubt that Dwayne Wade and Zaya are celebrating this recognition by the government and the world, allowing Zaya to present herself as she sees herself. Court rulings such as these will surely spotlight and bring even more attention to the complexities of navigating gender within the family unit.
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