Dwyane Wade’s Ex-Wife Siohvaughn Funches Accuses The Former NBA Star Of Exploiting Their 15-Year-Old Transgender Daughter For Financial Gain

Dwyane Wade, Siohvaughn Funches, Zaya Wade

Dwyane Wade’s Ex-Wife Siohvaughn Funches Accuses The Former NBA Star Of Exploiting Their 15-Year-Old Transgender Daughter For Financial Gain

Dwyane Wade’s ex-wife is pleading to a court to stop their 15-year-old transgender daughter from changing her name and gender on her birth certificate. 

Zaire Wade, Siohvaughn Funches, Zaya Wade

Court documents filed this week display that Siohvaughn Funches, Dwyane Wade’s first wife and mother of his two oldest children (Zaya and 20-year-old Zaire), requested that the court imposes an order that would prevent 15-year-old daughter Zaya Wade from legally changing her gender from male to female on her birth certificate until she is 18-years-old.

Siohvaughn Funches, who was married to Dwyane Wade from 2002-2010, is worried that her daughter is being pressured into permanently changing her identity by her father, who will allegedly profit from Zaya’s transition.

Dwayne Wade & Siohvaughn circa 2009

As previously reported, Zaya Wade came out as transgender back in 2019. Since then, she has signed modeling contracts for companies such as Tiffany and Dove. In addition, she’s accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. The 15-year-old has also appeared on red carpets alongside her father and stepmother Gabrielle Union, who has previously shared that she’s accepting of Zaya and her choice.

The teen’s mother said in her legal filing:

“I have concerns that (Dwyane) may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies.”

This follows as a response after Dwyane filed a petition back in August to allow his daughter to change her name from Zion Malachi Airamis Wade to Zaya Malachi Airamis Wade. In his August filing, the former NBA star alleged he had the legal right to make decisions on his daughter’s behalf and informing his ex-wife about it was “a courtesy.”

Zaya Wade

In 2011, after a four-year court battle, Dwyane was awarded full custody of his children when he divorced his ex-wife. Siohvaughn believes she lost the battle with her ex-husband because of his wealthy lifestyle. At the time, Dwyane’s ex-wife shared:

“I think influence had a lot to do with it. Celebrity had a lot to do with it. Money had a lot to do with it.” 

Zaya Wade, Gabrielle Union

In April, she reiterated an alleged conversation she had with her ex-husband claiming that he told her that they have already made tons of money in relation to Zaya’s gender change. She said:

“(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 added:

“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.”

A hearing has been set in December to rule whether or not Zaya can legally change her name and gender without the consent of her mother. 

Zaya Wade. Gabrielle Union, Kaavia Wade, Dwayne Wade,

What are your thoughts on Dwyane Wade’s ex-wife claiming that the former NBA star is using Zaya’s transgender journey for financial gain? Share it with us in the comments below. 

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