Dwyane Wade on supporting his son at Pride: Thats my job

As we discussed, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union supported Zion Wade, 11, at Miami Pride in April. Gabrielle and his siblings attended the parade and Dwyane posted his support via social media as he was out of town for a game that weekend. It was a lovely display by all. It was also somewhat of a surprise because 1) not many people knew Zion identified as LGBTQ and 2) because Dwyane got backlash from publicly supporting his son. While speaking with Variety, Dwyane addressed both of those things in a really beautiful way:

Some of the quotes:

Your family was at Miami Pride. And you were very supportive of your family being there and your son Zion being there. Can you talk a little bit about why that was important for you to publicly be supportive?

I don’t really talk about it much because it’s Zion’s story to tell. I think as a family, we should support each other. That’s our job. And my job as a father is to facilitate their lives and to support them and to be behind them in whatever they want to do. So the same effort that I’m going to put into Zaire wanting to be a basketball player, the same hours… is the same time that I’m going to give Zion with the things he wants to do. He’s a writer, he’s someone who has an unbelievable mind, imaginary mind. He’s a reader. So it’s the same thing for me. It doesn’t change my role as a father. My role is to support my kids and to love my kids.

Were you surprised that your support your family was controversial? That people were critical of it?

Yes. This is my job as a father. And I’m very uneasy about accolades that come from supporting my kids or, obviously, the negativity that comes with it. I’m doing what every parent should do. Once you bring kids into this world, you have to become unselfish. You’re not important anymore. Your kids become the most important thing, your family becomes the most important thing. So I’m doing what I feel is right for my family and that’s to support my kids in the same way… It’s my job to be their role model, to be their voice in my kids’ lives, to let them know you can conquer the world. So, go and be your amazing self and we’re going to sit back and just love you.

It’s his first quote that spoke to me the most. Like I mentioned in the Marlon Wayans post, my daughter identifies as LGBTQ. But, just as I did in that post, I only bring that fact into the conversation if it’s relevant. A few times, I’ve had friends say to me, “you never told me (my daughter) was LGBTQ.” As Dwyane said, it’s her story. I’ve never not said it; she’s just not dating yet so I haven’t discussed girlfriends or boyfriends. Like, many people don’t know she’s a perfectionist either because it rarely is pertinent so I generally don’t mention it. Just like Dwyane emphasized, sexual identity is merely a part of any of us. I have a long, beautiful list of adjectives that describe who my incredible children are, and their sexual preferences take up just one of those spaces.

Dwyane also said that he grew up in the inner city in Chicago and that he was not told he could be anything he wanted to be, so he wants to make sure that’s an environment he creates for his kids. I do too. I admire Dwyane not only for his frankness but more so for his putting his role as a father above all else. It sounds like it’s a no brainer for him, and it should be. But as he said, he didn’t have that so the fact that he got there so quickly is commendable.

Photo credit: WENN Photos and Variety

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