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The trans influencer came out at the age of 12
Zaya Wade, the 15-year-old transgender daughter of NBA icon Dwyane Wade, is making her magazine cover debut on the latest issue of Dazed.
The milestone comes a week after Zaya’s runway debut for Miu Miu during Paris Fashion Week earlier this month. The Dazed cover features the teen model wearing items from the label, Page Six reports.
Zaya, who came out as trans at the age of 12, opens up in the issue about having support from her trans-affirming family, which includes Wade’s wife, actress Gabrielle Union, Zaya’s stepmother. Wade’s biological mother, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, was married to the ex-Miami Heat player from 2002 to 2010.
In a recent speech at the NAACP Awards, Wade and Union emphasized the need to be more supportive of Black transgender people.
“I think it’s not my job, but it’s my honor to continue and further my family’s education and appreciation for the entire LBGTQ+ community as we grow together,” Zaya tells Dazed.
She also acknowledged that there is “a lot of pressure on me” to represent the trans community while also growing up in the spotlight.
“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,” Zaya explains. “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.”
Elsewhere in the issue, Zaya shared the best beauty advice from stepmom Union.
“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,” the young fashionista shared.
“[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,” Zaya added.
The teen said fashion has “become a really important part of expressing myself and my identity.”
Since coming out as a transgender female, the fashion star in the making has landed campaigns for Tiffany & Co. and Puma, Page Six reports.
Last month, she was granted a legal name and gender change, theGrio reported. The minor’s biological mother objected to the move.
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