Dwyane found new love and married actress Gabrielle Union in 2014, with whom he shares a three-year-old daughter, Kaavia. He also has another son with Funches and a son with Aja Metoyer.
1. Supporting Zaya through and through
In 2021, Zaya met her idol, former US first lady Michelle Obama, in a virtual Q&A session, which she proudly shared on Instagram. The inspiring author gave Zaya advice on her coming of age and said she was an “amazing role model”. Her stepmum Union and father Dwyane spoke to People after the interview, gushing about how happy they were for their outspoken daughter.
A year before, Zaya had publicly come out as transgender, though Dwyane told Good Morning America that she’s known it since she was three years old. Variety reported that Zaya came out to her parents when she was 12.
But the process didn’t come easy. Union recalled to People how she didn’t have many resources to inform her stepdaughter’s transition so she “just reached out to everyone I knew from social media”, of which she was greeted with “love, resources and information”. She added that she and Dwyane were realistic and described the process as a learning curve.
Dwyane describes Zaya as “one of the greatest teachers in my life” in his self-titled 2021 memoir.
2. Both parents are proud LGBTQ+ advocates
“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 said.
After the clip went viral, Union praised Zaya’s bravery and shared a video on Twitter of a conversation of Dwyane and her talking about identity and living her truth.
3. Sticking up for Zaya against the haters
Sadly, young Zaya has faced plenty of online haters during her time in the limelight, especially for challenging gender norms. In 2019, Union shared a sweet Thanksgiving family photo on Instagram. While many fans commented on how they looked adorable, some people cruelly criticised Zaya for sporting long nails and wearing a crop top.
Dwyane quickly came into Zaya’s defence and issued a strong message putting love and pride above the some of the public’s negative opinions. In a series of tweets, he said his goal is to make sure that his kids are seen, loved and supported.
4. They threw her a medieval-themed pride party for her 13th birthday
Dwyane and Union threw a medieval- and pride-themed party for Zaya on her 13th birthday. The new teenager wore a velvet robe with purple braids, a sign that the couple respects and embraces her outfit preferences.
5. Advising fellow parents with LGBTQ+ kids
When the couple attended the Met Gala this year, a Variety reporter asked Dwyane what keeps him going when fighting for Zaya. He answered, “Being a father … is to make sure that you sit back and see what it is in life that they want to do and try to go there with them and try to help them, mould them into who they want to be.”
Dwyane and Union’s support for Zaya extends to the LGBTQ+ community as well through the Wade Family Foundation. Dwyane has also dissented against the anti-trans legislation while Union criticised Disney’s response to an anti-LGBTQ+ law in Florida.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuqKzwLOgp52jZMC1xcueZpydnJqvs7XTsmaaqqSesK2xjmxocmhnaYVwgYywmLKrXZnEuq3NnmSwmZSaerTBz6mmq6yjYrWqv4ytqZqmo5yyr7DEq2SdmaWctbWx0WaxmrGR