Dwyane Wade’s daughter, Zaya, has been granted a legal gender and name change after his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, tried to stop the transition.
According to the documents obtained by TMZ, an LA County judge signed off on the 15-year-old’s new identity.
It was in 2019 when Wade’s child, now legally named Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade, came out as trans.
Since coming out, the teen has gained modeling contracts with brands like Dove and Tiffany and has accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
The Los Angeles County judge granted Zaya her official gender change from male to female. Reports revealed that the petition for the gender and name change was filed last August.
Last November, Siohvaughn reportedly contested the petition and claimed their child was ‘being pressured financially.’
But the former NBA star – who played for the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers during his career – argued that he had the ‘full authority’ to ‘make decisions on behalf’ of their child when he was given custody of his two children in 2011.
Siohvaughn then filed an objection in November over the name change and accused her ex-husband of exploiting their child for financial gain.
In Wade’s latest filing, he said the claims were ‘unsubstantiated,’ adding that his ex-wife failed to prove why the name change would not be in their child’s best interest.
He said “a court order affirming her identity will allow Zaya to live more comfortably and honestly in all aspects of her life – from simple introductions and food orders, to applying for a driver’s license and filling out college applications.”
His lawyers added: “Siohvaughn’s allegations are libelous at their core, and are, at best, nonsensical. Dwyane filed this Petition because Zaya asked him to.”
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