Zaya Wade Finally Gets Legal Approval for a Name Change and Gender Marker Change 

It’s a day of celebration in the Wade household, and a long time coming! Zaya Wade, daughter of basketball star Dwyane Wade and stepdaughter of actress Gabrielle Union, has officially been granted a legal name change and gender assignment, reports TMZ who obtained the court documents on Friday. Her name change petition has been making its way through the courts since last August.

The fifteen-year-old has been going by the name Zaya since 2020, and now her legal documents will match.According to a ruling filed in the Los Angeles Superior Courts, her legal name is now Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade and will be able to switch her gender marker to female on legal documents.

When Zaya came out as trans in 2020, both her father and stepmother publicly announced their unconditional support, repeatedly and fiercely protecting her against transphobic remarks. When Zaya first came out, her father told Good Morning America that she’s known since she was three years old. 

Last fall, when the name change filing first went public, Siohvaughn Funches, Dwyane Wade’s ex-wife and Zaya’s mother alleged in a court filing that Dwayne was pressuring their child to pursue a name change and gender marker change and was working to "profit" from the situation.

Dwyane Wade wrote a statement on his Instagram, defending Zaya. "I've received a social media post about me forcing our 15 year old child to be someone she's not and to do something against her will,” he wrote. “These are serious and harmful allegations that have hurt our children. 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 find ways of centering herself and HER needs, without regard to her children.”