Dwayne Wade’s Ex-Wife Hopes to Stop Their Daughter’s Legal Name Change
Former pro basketball player Dwayne Wade is trying to legally change his transgender daughter’s name and gender, but unfortunately, he is receiving some backlash from his ex-wife, Siohavaughn Funches. She is asking the court to stop him.
Wade originally filed a petition with the Los Angeles court for 15-year-old Zaya, whom he has sole custody of, on August 22. Last week, Funches filed an objections, arguing that the custody agreement between Wade and herself grants her the ability to still be involved in decisions like this. Since Zaya is only 15, it is necessary to have parental permission to obtain a court order to grant an individual’s request to change their name or birth certificate.
A decision on the matter won’t be made until the hearing, reportedly scheduled for December 12.
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According to celebrity news site Blast, Funches claims her ex-husband is trying to circumvent the Illinois final custody order judgement entered in 2011. That order states that both parents are entitled to parental consultation, and Dwayne must consult with Funches before making any significant decisions regarding their children’s lives.
She also claims that Dwayne is taking advantage of Zaya’s transgender identity for financial gain.
“I have concerns that Dwayne 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,” her filing asserts. “Dwayne 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.”
Dwayne responded to news of his ex-wife’s petition and called Funches an “absent parent” who is not involved in Zaya’s life, and denied allegations that legally changing his daughter’s gender and name are for financial gain.
“No one in our house would ever force Zaya or any of our children to do anything against their will, much less force an identity on them,” he wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram. “This isn’t a game for my family and definitely not for Zaya.”
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Since the couple’s split in 2007, Funches and Dwayne have been involved in legal disputes more than once. A lawsuit filed by Funches in 2010 claimed that Dwayne’s relationship with Gabrielle Union caused emotional distress to her and her children. ESPN reported that Wade called the suit as “baseless and meritless.”
Since coming out in 2020, Zaya has received support from both Dwayne and Union, as well as millions of others. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Dwayne spoke of his pride in his daughter.
“Me and my wife, we are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ community,” he says. “We’re proud allies as well. We take our roles and our responsibility as parents very seriously.”
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