Zaya Wade, nearly a month after her famous parents, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, announced that she identifies as a girl, made her red carpet debut at the Truth Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday. The 12-year-old recently came out as transgender, changing her name to Zaya and asking to be referred to with she/her pronouns. Though Zaya became the subject of plenty of discussion all over the Internet after she came out, both negative and positive, she blocked out all the noise and took to the red carpet at the sixth annual instalment of the award show. Dwyane shared some photos of his family at the event, noting that they were there to support their friends, married business partners of JSN Studio, Jason Bolden and Adair Curtis, who were honoured with the Business Leadership Award.
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"Zaya how does that custom @richfresh feel???" Dwyane wrote on the first photo of himself and his wife posing with Zaya, who was rocking a bright green Richfresh blouse and matching tuxedo jacket. Dwyane used the opportunity to shed light on the objective of the Truth Awards. "Last night was a dope experience for our family," he continued. "The Truth Awards was created to recognize and highlight the accomplishments of the Black LGBTQ+ community and its allies. In doing so, they increase the awareness of there contributions to Society, Popular Culture and the Arts, and help refocus the lens through which they are seen. The Truth Awards also provides funding for scholarships that supports educational opportunities for youth in the LGBTQ+ community!"
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Dwyane also shared a photo of Zaya strutting in her custom look, expressing how proud he is of his inspiring daughter. "Everyone allow her to re-introduce herself her name is Zaya Wade!" he wrote. "Last night was Zaya’s first red carpet and we couldn’t have been prouder of how she handled the questions that were asked of her. She has emerged as one of the young faces and voices for the LGBTQ+ community." Gabrielle also made a statement on Instagram about how important the evening was for their whole family.
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"Big night at the #TruthAwards2020 to celebrate our friends @jasonbolden @adair_curtis receiving the Business Leadership Award," Gabrielle wrote. "We are incredibly proud of them and grateful for their presence, love & light in ourselves. @richfresh kept us FRESHHHHH in custom suits and @lorraineschwartz laced us with gorgeous jewels for the special occasion. It was an EPIC night filled with so much love & a real sense of community. It was important for Zaya to be a part of such a beautiful night & reminding her of all the love & support she has. We were moved to tears so many times throughout the night. So much gratitude." Jason Bolden even shared a clip of the Wades' giving a speech at the awards show, in which Dwyane revealed that Jason and Adair have become Zaya's "trusted, self-chosen godfathers."
"JOY," Jason wrote. "Last Night Our Friends Came Out to Celebrate My Husband & I! They Gave Us a Great Surprise Too at @betterbrothersla #TruthAwards To The Wades, Thank You For Always Showing Up, Thank You For Always Taking Your Light and Shining It On Those Who Don’t Have a Voice or Face In The Room. For That & Many Other Reasons We Love You!!! Zaya Zaya Zaya YOU ARE PERFECT."
