Siohvaughn Funches who was previously married to the retired basketballer explains why she wants her 15-year-old child to wait until she's 18 before undergoing gender change.
- Nov 5, 2022
AceShowbiz - Dwyane Wade's former wife insists she wants to protect her transgender child from "severe consequences." On Friday, November 4, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade told Page Six in a long statement "countless full-grown famous adults" have suffered serious fallout from anxiety and depression that ended in suicide.
Her remarks came after she accused former professional basketball player Dwyane, 40, of exploiting their 15-year-old daughter for financial gain.
She told Page Six about how she believes she is doing her best for her trans child, Zaya, by objecting to her legal name and gender change, "I have both the mandate and privilege of protecting my children from these tragic events, well as the myriad of other negative things that have a tendency to impact those living in the limelight, but time will fail me to mention them all."
"I'm by no means a perfect parent but I love my children with perfect unconditional love. I will also continue to do what the laws of this land allow me to do as a parent with the parental right and power under the constitution in courts of law and not the court of public opinion."
Siohvaughn, who was married to Dwyane between 2002 and 2011, has begged a judge to impose an order that would ban Zaya from legally changing her gender from male to female until she is 18. She made the plea in court papers filed this week, which were obtained by The Blast.
Zaya came out aged 12 in 2019 and has since landed modelling contracts with brands including Tiffany and Dove, and, according to Siohvaughn, is in talks for deals with Disney. The concerned mum said in her court filing, "'I have concerns that (Dwyane) may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalise on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies."
It was a response to an August filing by ex-Miami Heat player Dwyane to allow Zaya to legally change her name from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade. He claimed he had legal right to make decisions on his daughter's behalf and said he was only telling Siohvaughn out of "courtesy."
But she says in her filing Dwyane is legally required to consult her on "major decisions" affecting the "care, welfare, activities, health, education and religious upbringing" of Zaya.
Siohvaughn and Dwyane also share older son Zaire, 20, with the ex-NBA star winning full custody of their children boys when he divorced their mum in 2011.
She has previously spoken of her pain at losing the kids after a four-year court fight and said she thought his fame and money helped him win the case. Siohvaughn said in a 2012 interview with MailOnline, "I think influence had a lot to do with it. Celebrity had a lot to do with it. Money had a lot to do with it."
Dwyane and his current wife, actress Gabrielle Union, 50, with whom he has three-year-old daughter Kaavia, have often spoken of their support for Zaya's choices, saying they now know her "authentic self."
The couple has not publicly responded to Siohvaughn's filing and a hearing has been set for December to determine whether Zaya can change her name and sex without her mum's consent.
Dwyane first spoke in 2019 about Zaya's transition on Matt Barnes' "All the Smoke" podcast, saying, "Nothing changes with my love. Nothing changes in my responsibilities. So, all I had to do now is get smarter, educate myself more. And that's my job."
