Former professional basketball player Dwyane Wade just opened up about parenting his queer child.
And his powerful message was a slam dunk for the LGBTQ community.
In Wednesday's moving interview on Showtime's All the Smoke podcast, Wade said that his 12-year-old child, Zion Malachi Airamis—who is openly a part of the LGBTQ community and prefers the pronoun she—has "way more strength and courage" than he has.
In November, social media users expressed their objection to Thanksgiving photos that his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, posted on Instagram, which revealed Zion's long finger nails and her sporting a cropped top.
The photo sparked a lot of hate-filled messages, with narrow-minded people being more fixated on Zion's nails and outfit over reasons to be grateful during the holidays.
When asked to comment on the backlash over having a queer child, the former Miami Heat player touched on unconditional love, being transparent and the importance of visibility and allowing kids to be "seen."
"Me and my wife, we talk about making sure our kids understand the power in their voice."
"We want them to be whoever they feel that they can be in this world. That's our goal. Understand you can be whoever and you can be whatever."
You can watch the full All the Smoke interview, here.
Dwyane Wade | Ep 9 | Big 3, Zaire, Retirement | ALL THE SMOKE Full Podcastwww.youtube.com
In his conversations, Wade prepared Zion about the reality of growing up and facing negativity, not only as a queer person, but also as someone who is Black.
Much respect to @DwyaneWade for being so accepting of his child ❤️ Life is hard enough so I’m sure his support mean… https://t.co/9H4ioXFijh— b (@b) 1576824986
The 37 year-old is also a father to Kaavia James, 13 months; Xavier Zechariah, 6; Zaire Blessing Dwyane, 17 and is a guardian to nephew Dahveon Morris, 18.
The proud father explained why he chose to respond to the backlash instead of staying silent.
"When I respond to things socially, I'm not responding because you're hurting my feelings. I'm not responding because I care about what you're saying, because as we say in the in the hood it's 'ignant.'"
"Why I'm responding is because I understand my platform. I understand that I'm speaking for a lot of people don't have the same voice that I have.
"As a father, I'm even speaking for my 12-year-old because I haven't allowed them to sit in front of a microphone yet. But I'm speaking for so many others in the LGBTQ+ community. For me it's just my version of supporting."
As a parent my only goal is that my kids feel that i see them , love them and support them. https://t.co/ZrJp9WFdbi— DWade (@DWade) 1575155995
He admitted he had to educate himself on the LGBTQ community after noticing Zion was on a different "vibe" than his older brother, Zaire.
Wade also used the pronoun she in reference to Zion.
"I had to look myself in the mirror when my son at the time was 3 years old and me and my wife started having conversations about us noticing that he wasn't on the boy vibe that Zaire [Dwyane's older son] was on."
"And I had to look myself in the mirror and say, 'What if your son come home and tells you he's gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain't about him. He knows who he is. It's about you. Who are you?'"
"I've watched my son from day one become into who she now eventually has come into."
Many people were moved by Wade's powerful and inspired speech and praised both him and Union on Twitter for their unconditional love.
Being Black and LGBTQ, hearing someone as influential as @DwyaneWade speak so casually about loving and accepting h… https://t.co/pDK40aqR1y— Brian McBride (@Brian McBride) 1576854780
This actually made me cry. @DwyaneWade, Zion will never have to wonder if her daddy loves her, and that is a gift t… https://t.co/X67tKiMgxX— ricky, phd (@ricky, phd) 1576855633
I know I didn’t get enough sleep bc I just cried watching @DwyaneWade interview when he was talking about his son Zion. 😅— elociN anideM (@elociN anideM) 1576855211
@SpinnerGrace @OfArthurshire Ex NBA player Dwayne Wade’s child Zion has chosen feminine pronouns and he’s been supe… https://t.co/c9xEBpQpBt— Liz Yates is a fake name 😉 (@Liz Yates is a fake name 😉) 1576831073
Absolutely beautiful. @DwyaneWade is an incredible human and parent. ❤️❤️❤️ #inclusion Dwyane Wade Watched His… https://t.co/LFJrLezwF7— Kelly Q. Anderson (she/her) (@Kelly Q. Anderson (she/her)) 1576849347
I can’t stop applauding @DwyaneWade & @itsgabrielleu for their public, unabashed support and love for Zion. There a… https://t.co/XRvkXGXXZK— Jillian Svensson (@Jillian Svensson) 1576844892
@DwyaneWade What you have offered your child and the whole world is something truly precious: Unconditional love… https://t.co/0w3F6DIzQf— Devon Spier / חיה אריאל / Chaya Arielle / she/they (@Devon Spier / חיה אריאל / Chaya Arielle / she/they) 1576821192
Wade did not stay silent when his child was under attack on social media for the Thanksgiving photos.
He fired back on Twitter:
"I've seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo. Stupidity is apart of this world we live in—so I get it."
"But here's the thing—I've been chosen to lead my family not y'all. So we will continue to be us and support each other with pride, love & a smile!"
I’ve seen some post-thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo. Stupidity is apart of this world we live in—… https://t.co/3rSpUszHjW— DWade (@DWade) 1575156526
At one point in the interview, Wade commented on the increase in visibility of queer people and queer issues.
"This is the new normal, everybody needs to get used to it."
"If anybody is different, we're looked at as different; the ones who don't understand it. The ones that don't get it and are stuck in a box, you're different. Not the people that are out there living their lives."
He closed out on the subject with:
"For me it's all about, nothing changes with my love. Nothing changes with my responsibilities. Only thing I have to do now is get smarter and educate myself more, and that's my job."
Wade is also known for his philanthropy.
In 2013, he founded The Wade's World Foundation—which supports community-based organizations that provide education, health and social skills to children in at-risk situations.
He is also an avid supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Wade may be immortalized as a 13-time NBA All-Star in his professional career, but at home, his kids will always see him as their ultimate MVP.
The book Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child is available here.
Redditor H5N1BirdFlu wanted to discuss the moments in life that left us haunted and shook, so they asked:
"What is the creepiest or most unexplained event that you have ever experienced?"
I've seen so much creepiness I wouldn't know where to begin.
Deal
Walter White Wink GIF by Breaking BadGiphy"One car from one direction, and another car from the other direction stopped in front of my house. Both drivers got out and one gave the other a briefcase. Now that I am older I am guessing it was some kind of drug deal or something but at the time I found it very weird."
yapastaocho
'The Entertainer'
"We had a little copper music box that would start playing on its own. It was a man sitting at a player-piano and it would play 'The Entertainer' song. Now, I know that music boxes and such can spring (for lack of a better word) forward and play a few notes, but this thing would act like someone had wound it up and would play for a minute or two completely at random."
MercuryCrest
He?
"Me and and someone I used to know in high school way back when met to catch up. We were talking about our views on religion at some park. When we were walking back to our cars some guy said he had overheard us. We interacted a little and then went to our cars. I told her how awkward I felt knowing he overheard everything. She looked at me and said, 'He?'”
"After some comparing notes we realized we’d seen and heard entirely different people. She’d seen an elderly woman. I’d seen a middle aged man. Only problem is we only talked to the one person."
AccomplishedAuthor53
Overnight
"I usually go hiking and stay in the forest overnight, sleeping in a bivy and sometimes under a tarp. Now it's important to say I'm based in Europe. So no wild animals to be afraid of because usually they just boot it as soon as they notice you."
"So one winter night I'm sleeping under my tarp which connects to the ground on one side. It's in an area where there were fierce battles in the forrest on the border between Germany and Belgium in WWII."
"I hear something walking in the leaves, which is normal. There are always deer and ferral pigs on and about. But this time it comes closer and closer until I hear it right on the other side of my tarp and it starts growling. Its a noise I gad never heard and for a moment I was frozen trying to figure out what it might be and what to do."
"But I just decided to yell back and that did the trick. The animal walked a few steps and then turned back to growl once more before finally retreating."
"Let's put it this way, I didn't sleep for a while after that. I looked up the noise and think it was a badger."
Forest_Walkin
Devoured
Episode 4 Abc GIF by The BachelorGiphy"My family used to raise cattle. One morning I came out to check on them and I found one of the heifers had been more or less completely devoured."
"This same cow was perfectly fine the day before. There was nothing left but some hide, bones, and intestines. Thing is none of the predators that are in my area would be able to kill and eat an entire cow within the course of one night. Much less leave so little behind."
Aussieshepman
Poor cows. They live a rough life.
The Night Before
Get Out Omg GIF by Get Out MovieGiphy"When I was a kid, we lived in a kinda rural area. One night we came home late from an Uncle's house and there was a car parked up the road from our house with the headlights on."
"My mom suggested to my dad that we go see if they need help, he said no, so we went inside. Next morning police knocked on the door, a cyclist had spotted a body in the ditch exactly where the car was parked the night before."
Tpeest
Documents
"I have had a strange thing happen recently. I was waiting for my tax documents to come in so I could do my taxes. I had three documents that I put on my bedside table until I had the time."
"I decided to do it the other day and I couldn't find one of them. I tore the house apart, quizzed my husband (who swore he never touched it), checked the garbage, etc. I had resigned myself to the fact I would have to request another one, when it arrived in the mail."
"It was the same one, exact same information. I was really confused but grateful. I checked into it, it was not sent twice as far as the office could tell me."
"I don't know what to think. I KNOW I had that document because I had done some calculations with it. It's been itching at me like crazy."
monitormonkey
About 30 Feet
"A few months ago I was sitting in my living room on the couch, watching tv with a family member late at night. We have a high ceiling with a couple of rectangular windows at the very top of the wall just under where it meets the ceiling. The windows are so high (about 30 feet) we really only have them for natural lighting."
"So on the night in question, a green laser beam suddenly shown down through one of the windows, seemingly scanned the entire living room before stopping and pointing the beam right next to my family member for about 10 seconds and then disappearing entirely. It had to be either a drone or from some sort of flying aircraft. I live in a relatively secluded place which made the situation all the more unsettling."
0friday
Find Her
"Pretty sure I witnessed a kidnapping once and it still lives rent free in my head (the woman lost her slipper when she was trying to get away and i took a picture of it that i still have for some reason). I did indeed report it to police right after I saw it occur but they were pretty blasé about it and I never ended up being able to determine what they did to investigate."
ergaster8213
From Behind
the exorcist shadow GIFGiphy"I was in Jr High and had really long hair. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and almost tripped on a shoe on the floor. I bent down to move it and it felt like someone grabbed my entire pony tail and yanked it. I also could not sleep facing the wall for the longest time because it always felt like someone or something was right there behind me."
cheeseburgerphone182
Never face the wall. Life lesson.
These were some harrowing experiences, and we're glad these Redditors made it out to tell the story.
Do you have any similar experiences? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor NeedSomeSparkInLife wanted to know who would be willing to share, so they asked:
"What makes you not want to be intimate with your SO?"
I'm an easily turned off person.
So it doesn't take much.
Desire
Bored Season 5 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Taking a moment to realize I'm the only one that makes sexual advances in the relationship. Makes me not want it. People think men only want sex for face value but a lot of men actually want the feeling of being desired more so."
Relative-Hour-9359
Anger Issues
"I've always heard of fighting then having sex after. Fighting has always made me not want it. The last thing I want to do when someone pisses me off is have sex with them. What made it worse is she always wanted to when we were arguing which made the argument worse when I refused."
DaMoonRulez_1
"I think you're supposed to resolve your fight, realize that you care for each other a lot, move past it, then have the passion because of that. Not fight right into sex."
Ksp-or-GTFO
Take a Shower
"My ex and I were together for nearly 7 years, but his hygiene never improved, so we stopped being intimate like, 3 years before I finally broke up with him. He showered only once a week, but he worked in kitchens, so he was sweaty and greasy all the time."
"He had an infected tooth, so he constantly had bad breath, but he refused to visit a dentist, even when he had the money to afford dental work. He stopped working out within the first year of us being together, which sucked because he would get jealous if I went to the gym by myself or with my girlfriends, but he refused to come with me."
GreenChorizo
Sober Time
"Personally, the only issue I have is my SO's drinking. He just becomes an unattractive person when he's drunk. It's one thing if we're both out socializing and drinking together occasionally, but he drinks almost every day, sitting on the couch in front of the TV and to the point of sloppy drunkenness way too often. His face changes, his posture changes, his personality changes... I just get so turned off."
WeptSiren3113
Hang Up
Art Hello GIF by LINDSEY L33Giphy"When they are glued to their phones non stop! Put that s**t down and look at me before we go to bed!"
Palmwine
"I really dislike this too. Makes me feel alone in the relationship."
RealBrownPerson
No phones in bed. Hard rule for many of us to follow.
Step Back
Be Quiet Go Away GIF by Ryn DeanGiphy"When I make a move, and then get the feeling she's not really in the mood/would only do it to please me. I want us both to have a good time, not only me. So when she seems not into it, I take a step back."
Level-Plate8372
Calm Down
"To be brutally honest, her anxiety and insecurity makes sex such a hassle. She doesn’t believe anything I say about wanting her, she can almost never relax during sex, she doesn’t take time to enjoy it, and if God forbid I have any trouble finishing, she takes it more personally than anything, which of course puts more pressure on me to finish, which then makes it almost impossible."
Ben_Franklinstein
When at Wal-Mart
"When they’ve done something really nasty/unkind that day. Cruelty is the most ugly thing a person can show, in my eyes. I had a boyfriend that I went to Wal-Mart with and he ended up flipping off and storming right past the sweet little old man that checks the receipts at the door."
"It was partially about how I used to check receipts and I remembered how I felt when people treated me like that- but I also remember the look on the little old man’s face and just how disgusted I was with my partner being so nasty about it."
"I couldn’t touch him after that and I got grossed out when he touched me. And then I started to notice how he was nasty to other people as well. It eventually led to our break up."
spxdergirl
33 Years In
"My husband used to dislike his job - he’d come home and do nothing but bi**h. After awhile, I just gave up trying to cheer him up with sex - you can only try so long. So, we had a long dry spell - like, whatever you think a dry spell would be, it’s longer. When someone is constantly annoyed, well, it’s hard to feel amorous."
"Anyway, he early retired (54) like a month before Covid kicked in and by autumn that year, well, let’s just say we’re back to what we were like when we first met. He’s not pissed off all the time. (I’m retired as well, and let’s just say, afternoon nookie is such a perk, as is morning nookie and 3am nookie because you can sleep in!) I’m glad we stayed together. Going on 33 years and we’re just so happy."
NicInNS
Rage
Angry Inside Out GIF by Disney PixarGiphy"Feeling angry. I hate feeling angry. I don't like being around other people when angry. So I'll go for a walk, a drive etc, and just clear my head."
jackfaire
It seems like "dead bed," as some folks call it, can stem from many things, from mood, attraction, hygiene, and more.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Let us know in the comments.