Indeed, family truly means everything.
After Dwyane Wade shared that his daughter Zaya had come out as transgender, his son Zaire took to Instagram to celebrate his baby sister with a touching tribute. "Man, I remember bugging my mom as a kid telling her I wanted a brother so bad," Zaire captioned a sweet throwback snap. "I was the only child looking for company and someone to look after and take care of. I have been blessed to have my best friend, Zaya with me for 12 years."
"We did everything together...we fought, we played, we laughed and we cried," he continued. "But the one thing we never did was leave each other behind... I've told you that I would lay my life down to make sure you are ten toes down and happy on this earth. I don't care what they think Z, you are my best friend and I love you kid, and if it means anything, just know there's no love lost on this side."
The 12-year-old is certainly feeling the support from her entire family. On Tuesday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the retired NBA superstar recalled the moment Zaya told him and wife Gabrielle Union her truth.
"We are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we're proud allies as well," Dwyane said. "Zion, born as a boy, came home and said, ‘Hey, so I want to talk to you guys. I think going forward I am ready to live my truth. I want to be referenced as ‘she' and ‘her.' I would love for you guys to call me Zaya.'"
"I looked at her and said, ‘You are our leader. You are our leader and this is our opportunity to allow you to be a voice,'" he continued. "Right now, it's through us because she's 12 years old, but eventually it will be through her."
Since that moment, he and Gabrielle have prioritized educating themselves, guaranteeing that Zaya has a strong foundation to grow from. "My wife reached out to everybody on the cast of Pose," the 38-year-old said. "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."
That includes embracing Zaya for who she truly is. Following Dwyane's interview, the Bring It On alum took to Instagram to proudly introduce her stepdaughter to the world. "Meet Zaya," the actress shared. "She's compassionate, loving, whip smart and we are so proud of her. It's Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people."