*Dwyane Wade is praising Marlon Wayans for publicly supporting his transgender son.
As you know, Wade is also the parent of a transgender male-to-female named Zaya Wade.
During a recent “The Breakfast Club appearance,” Wayans said his 23-year-old trans son, Kai, inspired his next comedy special.
“I talk about the transition, not their transition, but my transition as a parent, going from ignorance and denial to complete and unconditional love and acceptance,” Wayans told The Breakfast Club hosts. “I think there’s a lot of parents out there that need to have that message. I know, I’m dealing with it. It was a very painful situation for me.”
Wade gave Wayans a shout-out at the GQ Men of the Year party at Bar Marmont in West Hollywood, Variety reports.
“I think unconditional love allows us to step in and listen and learn of what we do not know and what we were not taught, especially in the Black community,” Wade said. “I salute Marlon for speaking out and speaking up about this experience with his child just the same way as I’ve done. We’re just the voices that are speaking for our kids right now before they get an opportunity to grab that microphone and speak for themselves. I salute him.”
Wade continued, “This is his experience and what he’s dealing with. He’s coming out selling it from his point of view. It’s great for fathers especially to speak on them from their point of view and how they had to handle it and deal with it.”
Earlier this year, Wade said a big reason why his family fled Florida is because the state is not LGBTQ-friendly. Wade’s 15-year-old son Zion was 12 years old when he came out as a transgender girl named Zaya.
“That’s another reason why I don’t live in that state,” Wade said in an episode of Showtime’s “Headliners,” PEOPLE reported. “A lot of people don’t know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions.”
He continued, “I mean, obviously, the tax [situation] is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there.”
Wade previously shared some advice for parents of trans children.
“[Think of] the moment when you were in the hospital and you grabbed your daughter, and you looked at your daughter,” he told Variety in an article published in May. “All the things that went through your mind and all the emotions that went through your mind. And how much love fills your heart at that moment. Don’t let that ever leave you, no matter what.”
READ MORE: Marlon Wayans Talks Journey to Accepting His Trans Son | Watch
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