Dwyane Wade is praising Marlon Wayans for publicly supporting his transgender son.
Wade, who has also continued to be a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ people while standing alongside his daughter, Zaya, spoke about unconditional love during his recent interview with Variety at the GQ Men of the Year party on Nov. 17.
“I think unconditional love allows us to step in and listen and learn of what we do not know and what we were not taught, especially in the Black community,” Wade told Variety. “I salute Marlon for speaking out and speaking up about this experience with his child just the same way as I’ve done. We’re just the voices that are speaking for our kids right now before they get an opportunity to grab that microphone and speak for themselves. I salute him.”
Wade, who has been speaking out for his daughter Zaya since she came out as trans at age 12, encourages more fathers to be vocal about supporting their LGBTQ+ children.
“It’s great for fathers especially to speak on them from their point of view and how they had to handle it and deal with it,” he said.
Speaking to Variety in 2022, the NBA legend reminded parents to always remember that first moment when they held their child.
“[Think of] the moment when you were in the hospital and you grabbed your daughter, and you looked at your daughter,” he said. “All the things that went through your mind and all the emotions that went through your mind. And how much love fills your heart at that moment. Don’t let that ever leave you, no matter what.”
Wayans, who recently appeared on The Breakfast Club, where the comedian spoke about supporting his 23-year-old trans son Kai, said he wants his “kids to be free.”
“I want them to be free in spirit, free in thought, free to be themselves,” he said. “The more you know yourself, the more you can govern yourself, the more you live your truth, the happier your existence. So, if they can’t get that in the household with their father and their mother, how the f**k do I send them out into the world with that kind of confidence?”
As Blavity previously reported, Wayans also urged the public to think about the young generation and to be open-minded about accepting change.
“I want you to think about these people and how to be inclusive of this next generation,” he said. “Because I see a lot of gray hair here, but these kids that we’re dealing with, they’re different. And we can’t have our old ways and expect to do new things. So please embrace the new.”
