Zaya Wade Speaks Out After Coming Out as Trans at Age 12, Poses for 'Dazed' Photo Shoot

Zaya Wade is speaking out.

The 15-year-old trans daughter of Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union is on the cover of the latest issue of Dazed, out now.

In the conversation, Zaya shared rare comments about her relationship to fashion and identity, her family’s support, and being a trans youth.

“So many big changes have happened over the last couple of years with me, but also just in general,” she said.

Keep reading to find out more…

On fashion and identity:

“My relationship with fashion has really evolved over the years. It started out as, ‘Oh, my parents are super fashionable, and I want to dress up and be as fashionable as them.’ But, as time has passed and I’ve become more integrated into the fashion world, it’s become a really important part of expressing myself and my identity. Whether I’m wearing a dress for winter formal or wearing a suit for a shoot, it’s just a way to level up my iconicness, I feel.”

On what Gabrielle Union taught her about beauty and self-love:

“The lesson has changed over time, but more recently it’s that beauty is in yourself. It’s about being you and expressing yourself the way you want to. She tries to teach me that beauty standards are arbitrary and that they don’t mean anything. They don’t matter any more; what people thought was the standard is not. And just that being myself is the best technique out there.”

On her family:

“So many big changes have happened over the last couple of years with me, but also just in general. I think it’s not my job, but it’s my honour to continue and further my family’s education and appreciation for the entire LBGTQ+ community as we grow together. As our understanding of acceptance has broadened over the past couple of years, we have made the strides to keep ourselves educated and combat the ignorance.”

On growing up in public:

“There are some highs and some lows. I mean, a lot of attention equals a lot more hate, a lot of transphobia, and [there is] a lot of pressure on me, but I’m also able to reach more people. The positives of having such an inclusive platform completely outweigh all of the negativity online, which my support system has enabled me to filter out. It has allowed me to let in the positivity and distribute it to all of the trans people in the world who need a voice and give them a platform to get inspired to live with themselves without being afraid.” -

On the one thing she wishes all younger trans kids knew:

“You’re not alone! There are so many people out there. I wish I knew that as a kid because I felt so isolated, thinking there was no one else like me. And the percentage of trans adults versus trans children is such a wide difference. [When you’re] a child at school you’re like, ‘I’m trans, and I don’t see many trans people, so I feel isolated, I feel different from anyone.’ But that is not the only community. There are thousands of communities waiting [for you], and the trans community is forever growing. Even if you can’t have direct contact with them, just seeing their experience is so accessible because of social media. Other people can inspire you.”

She also just made her runway debut!