By now, you know Zaya Wade, daughter of basketball superstar Dwyane Wade. Well now, Zaya is legally Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade!
This week, Los Angeles' Superior Court granted the 15-year-old an official name change and gave her the permission to change her gender marker on legal documents, according to court filings obtained by People magazine.
This comes on the heels of some turmoil between Zaya's father Dwyane and her mother, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, who protested Zaya's petition to change her name and gender assignment/marker. Siohvaughn claimed last year Dwyane was attempting to "profit" from Zaya's journey.
Dwyane responded to Siohvaughn in a statement, writing, "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 needs for her LIFE! She won't do it! She has not been to a school recital, graduation, school dance, play date, practice, parent-teacher conference etc and Zaya has given her every opportunity to try to get to know her. She won't do it!"
"As a woman who claims to be a 'good Christian mother,' I've yet to see her make any sacrifice in her children's lives in over a decade. Zaya is not that same 3 year old 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!"
