Dwyane Wade’s transgender daughter, Zaya Wade, has been granted an official name and gender change.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, Zaya is now “legally Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade … and [a] judge also ruled in favor of her official gender change from male to female.”
The name change comes after an intense court battle between Dwyane Wade and his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches. Last November, Funches contested Zaya’s legal petition for name and gender change petition, claiming that Dwyane Wade was “positioned to profit from the minor child’s name and gender change with various companies through contacts and marketing opportunities including but not limited to deals with Disney.”
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Dwyane responded to Siovaughn’s accusations with a lengthy post on Instagram.
He wrote on the social media platform, “While none of us are surprised by Siohvaughn’s attempt to fight Zaya’s identity and her unwavering attempt to drag my name through the mud, I’m very disappointed that she continuously finds ways of centering herself and HER needs without regard to her children,” Dwyane said in his post.
“I’ve given her the opportunity to reach out to Zaya’s teachers, doctors, and therapist over the years and even meet her friends so she could get her own understanding of our child’s needs for her LIFE! She won’t do it,” the celebrity father exclaimed. “And Zaya has given her every opportunity to try to get to know her. She won’t do it,” Wade added.
Ultimately, Wade filed a petition of his own saying that “[it] is not about Siohvaughn or Dwyane or their prior marriage, it is about what Zaya wants and what is in her best interest.”
