In a new interview, Zaya Wade's mom gives advice to other parents going through a similar journey.
BY MIKELLE STREET
MAY 07 2020 9:42 AM EDT
One of our favorite things to watch right now is the love shared between the Union-Wade family. Over the past year or so, the family has revealed a change to the world with their 12-year-old child requesting to be called Zaya and to be referred to using she/her pronouns. In her reintroduction to the red carpet, Zaya helped to design a custom suit for herself using the colors of the genderqueer flag and has also since joined Instagram. Her parents have been constant supporters and defenders along the way, reaching out to the actresses of Pose for guidance as well as educating themselves on gender and transition.
As a result, Gabrielle and Dwyane Union-Wade stand as hopeful role models to a generation of parents who are walking a similar path with trans or gender-nonconforming children. In a recent interview on The View discussing her new book — where she revealed that Zaya is one of the few things that makes the family's youngest Kaavia "very happy" — Gabrielle passed on a bit of advice to those parents. Read the transcript of that moment, in full, below.
Meghan McCain: You and husband Dwyane have been incredibly supportive of your 12-year-old daughter Zaya who came out as transgender earlier this year. I know it's been so great and so beautiful to see an example, such unconditional love. What advice do you have for other parents out there who are going through a similar experience journey with a transgender child?
Gabrielle Union-Wade: To love your child, listen to your child, accept your child. reject the notion that your children are disposable if they are not little mini versions of you. And that creating more of you, in every kind of way, isn't the solution to keeping them safe or paving the way for a happy life. Allowing them to be exactly who they are and loving them and supporting them and hopefully guiding them to be a loving, compassionate and open-minded global citizen should be the goal.
We've just seen so many times people throw away their kids and it's ... I don't even have a word to describe it. It's bizarre, sad, pathetic, heartbreaking. We just want to remind people that loving your kid is actually an option. Loving them, accepting them, helping to guide them in a way that reminds them that they are heard and seen and loved exactly as they are.
Gabrielle Union: Throwing Trans Kids Away Is 'Sad, Pathetic'
