John Legend praised Gabrielle Union and her effeminate husband Dwyane Wade as “powerful LGBTQ+ allies.”
John, who is rumored to be bisexual, delivered a gushing tribute to the 47-year-old Deliver Us from Eva actress and the 38-year-old basketball star as they were named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The couple were named not for their career achievements, but for “being forces of change,” after they accepted Dwyane’s transgender child, Zaya, who was born a boy named Zion Wade.
The “All of Me” singer praised them for setting “a powerful example for parents to be good allies to young people who are figuring out who they are.”
Dwyane is dad to Zaya, his son with his ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches. Earlier this year, the NBA star revealed Zion told them he’d “love for you guys to call me Zaya” after coming out as transgender.
“Freedom exists in so many different forms. But we are so blessed to be in a household where we have free children,” Gabrielle said during Tuesday’s ABC TV special.
“We have a daughter that is almost two, that the world has seen is bound to nothing but whatever is in her heart and on her soul at the moment. And it’s beautiful to watch truly free children.”
“We have another daughter who’s 13 (Zaya), who has the freedom to be exactly who she is, who she was born to be, to be her most authentic self. She doesn’t ask permission to exist. That is wildly inspiring,” the star added.
In a brief essay for Time, crooner John heaped praise on the couple, writing: “Every kid is going to be different in some way or another. Every kid is going to have their own individuality and their own interests and their own identity.
Dwyane and Gabrielle started dating in 2008 and they wed in August, 2014. They welcomed their first child, Kaavia, via surrogate in 2018. The sportsman also has sons Zaire, 18, and Xavier, 6, from previous relationships.
