Zaya’s big brother and Dwyane’s eldest child Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade wrote on his Instagram page, “I’ll always be here to love & protect you, through thick n thin. You got a brother in me 5L no matter what and Ima make sure as you get older you understand that…I love you kid, happy g day @zayawade. Continue to inspire & persevere thru all! We got your back on this side Zaya.”
This marks the transgender teen’s second birthday using her first name of Zaya publicly since her stepmom and dad, who also has a 7-year-old son, Xavier Zechariah Wade, 19, introduced her in February 2020.
“Meet Zaya,” Gabrielle wrote on social media at the time. “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.”
Also around the same time, Dwyane spoke about his and Gabrielle’s support of Zaya on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, saying “We are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community and we’re proud allies as well.”
In March 2020, Zaya made her first red carpet appearance at the sixth annual Truth Awards in Los Angeles. She was joined by Gabrielle and Dwyane, who wrote on Instagram at the time, “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.”
See Zaya’s cutest family photos over the years: