Dwyane Wade is firing back at his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade after her petition to prevent their daughter from legally transitioning.
If you didn’t hear Wednesday, Siohvaughn, the mother of Dwyane’s two eldest children, 20-year-old Zaire and 15-year-old Zaya, filed a legal petition against the recognition of their daughter’s legal change of gender and issuance of a new birth certificate to reflect it, according to legal documents. She asked the court to deny the legal recognition until the child is 18 years old to give her “the opportunity at the age of majority, which is two and one-half years away, to make this monumental decision for themselves.”
She then claimed she had concerns Dwyane, who has been very openly supportive of the transition, was attempting to exploit Zaya for financial gain, writing in the filings:
“[Dwyane] may be pressuring or incentivizing the minor child with lucrative financial opportunities in order to proceed with this instant Petition.”
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She continued:
“He informed me that a lot of money had been already made and that additional money will be made in relation to our child’s name and gender issue. (Dwyane) told me that he intended to make our child very famous due to the name and gender issue and also informed me that there would be endorsements/contracts associated therewith.”
She then cited potential deals with Disney, adding:
“I am concerned that our child is being commercialized at a young age and also of the uncontrollable consequences of media exposure i.e. cyberbullying, statements and/or pictures taken out of context of our child, and the unwanted spotlight focused on our child.”
Now, in the light of all these accusations, Dwyane has something to say.
The Miami Heat alum took to Instagram early Thursday morning to address the situation, which seems to have taken him off guard. He began by shading the public and online nature of Siohvaughn’s petition, writing:
“Since this must be a new way of parenting, I guess I have to address these allegations here, which is a damn shame.”
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He continued:
“When I’m on a life-changing trip in our motherland, Africa, 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. These are serious and harmful allegations that have hurt our children.”
We reported yesterday that the 41-year-old mother’s use of Zaya’s dead name in the legal filings, without so much as a mention of the child’s chosen name, may have been a clue that she doesn’t recognize the transition, and Dwyane seems to have echoed that:
“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 finds ways of centering herself and HER needs, without regard to her children. This report came out while Zaya was in class. This is a kid who has maintained a 4.0 GPA in honors classes while navigating all this unsolicited and harmful attention and debates about her gender and sexuality from those who are committed to not listening to her, much less even knowing her!”
The protective poppa bear then made a shocking claim, revealing:
“Siohvaughn tried a similar attempt over a decade ago (with equally damaging lies and causing irreparable harm to her children) and 13 lawyers later, I was awarded sole custody of our two kids as an active NBA player!”
He continued:
“‘I’ve given her the opportunity to reach out to Zaya’s teachers, doctors, and therapist over the years and even meet her friends, so she could get her own understanding of our child’s need for her LIFE! She won’t do it!”
He then added:
“Zaya is not that same 3-year child anymore and she’s screaming that to the world but most importantly to her Mother! No one in our house would ever force Zaya or any of our children to do anything against their will, much less force an identity on them. This isn’t a game for my family and definitely not for Zaya. This is her life!”
Damn! See his full post (below):
We feel so bad that Zaya has to be at the center of all this, and while the reports are definitely troubling to say the least, we hope both parents truly do just want what’s best for their child. Like we said, Dwyane has been supportive from the very beginning, so we’re so glad Zaya has someone in her corner. But what are your thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down (below)!
[Images via Siohvaughn Funches-Wade/Instagram & MEGA/WENN]
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