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Dwyane Wade’s Comments About Raising His 12-Year-Old Child are Powerful

“Nothing changes with my love.”

Dec. 20, 2019

Jason LaVeris

Dwyane Wade opened up about his young child Zion, recently, and explained what it’s like raising a queer child. “I had to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘What if your son come home and tell you he’s gay?” Wade said on a recent episode of the All the Smoke podcast. “What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain’t about him. He knows who he is. It’s about you. Who are you?'”

In recent weeks, Zion has been subjected to online trolls after Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, posted a family photo on Thanksgiving. “I’ve seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo,” he tweeted at the time. “Stupidity is apart of this world we live in — so I get it. But here’s the thing — I’ve been chosen to lead my family not y’all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride love & a smile!” Amen!”

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He very much echoed that sentiment on All the Smoke, saying that Zion has more “strength and courage” than he does. “I watched my son, from day one, become into who she now eventually come into,” Wade said. “And for me it’s all about nothing changes with my love. Nothing changes in my responsibilities. So, the only thing I had to do now is get smarter educate myself more. And that’s my job.”

Wade also addressed coming to the Zion’s defense online, which he made clear isn’t done because his feelings are hurt. Instead, Wade says he wants to use his voice for those who might not have as big of a platform as he does. “I’m responding because I’m speaking for a lot of people who don’t have the same voice that I have as a father,” he explained. “I’m even speaking for my 12-year-old right now because I haven’t allowed him to sit in-front of a microphone yet. But I’m speaking for so many others in the LGBTQ+ community. For me, man, like I said, it’s just my version of support.”

“Everybody get used to it, man. This is the new normal,” Wade continued.” So, if anybody different, we’re looked at as different — the ones that don’t understand it, the ones that don’t get it, the ones that have stuck in a box, you’re different. Not the people out here living their lives, man.”