Gabrielle Union & Dwayne Wade Praise Daughter Zaya Ahead of Winter Formal

Actress Gabrielle Union has supported her stepdaughter, Zaya Wade, ever since she came out as trans in 2020.

This past weekend, Union and her husband, Dwayne Wade, furthered their public support with an Instagram post of family photos documenting the behind-the-scenes of their 15-year-old’s special evening: winter formal. One video includes Zaya holding her dress and walking up the stairs as Union sings, “There she is.”

“Supporting each other for life’s big moments is key,” Union wrote in the caption. “All the nerves, all the anxiety, all the fear… With loved ones by your side, no matter the challenge, we 10 does down. Always.”

The nerves, anxiety, and fear are likely in reference to Zaya’s coming out. In a joint interview with Union for the Dove Self-Esteem Project, Zaya addressed the hatred she faced after coming out, saying, “As a trans person, once I came out, there was a lot of hateful comments about how I should grow my hair out long or fit into a certain version of femininity, even though that’s not true at all. That kind of advice is just trying to break you, but don’t let it.”

Zaya has received massive support from both her father and stepmother since her coming out. During the joint interview, Union said, “There are a billion ways to exist because there are billions of people and each person has the ability to decide for themselves how they want to exist in the world and how they want to move through the world.”

Comments on the post were met with love and affection, particularly with Union’s “10 toes down” comments.

Zaya also posted a photo dump on her Instagram of the evening, simply captioned “winter formal.”

We hope your night was just as beautiful as you, Zaya!