Former NBA star Dwyane Wade and actress Gabrielle Union talk about their move to California to make a better life for their family.
The married couple sat down for the cover of Parents’ first digital issue to discuss their decision to move from Florida to California as a family.
The former NBA star, 41, and the Bring It On actress, 50, said there were a lot of reasons they chose to leave, “and finding a community for Zaya was a big part of that,” Wade said of his 16-year-old daughter, who is transgender.
“We felt that California was a place that would allow her to blossom and grow. She’s going to be a Junior in high school now, and she’s been able to be accepted and become her here.”
“When you have the kind of rhetoric that is being espoused in Florida and adopted into law, that’s not an option if my child isn’t safe there,” Union added.
“We have family and friends who don’t have the privilege of moving. So, we are going to be fighting till we are out of breath to protect all kids who are oppressed,” she continued. “That is our responsibility as people with large platforms and as people who folks trust, and they trust us because we say the hard thing.”
The couple also discussed their four-year-old daughter, Kaavia James, saying they’re focusing on teaching her to have compassion for herself.
“So often, we’re drilled to be compassionate to everybody else, but we leave ourselves out of that compassion umbrella and let ourselves get drenched and drowned in self-loathing and self-judgment. And when you breed compassion in your home, [kids] can’t help but live it and expect it,” Union continued.
“This is my first time raising a little girl from this age. Zaya came to us older,” Wade added.
“I don’t know what Kaav’s going to choose for herself. But if she does choose a man, I want her to look at that man she chooses and say you have to measure up to my daddy. So, the bar will be set high.”
