NBA all star and father #DwyaneWade has recently spoken out upon his life altering process of raising a gay son and how it ultimately changed his outlook on society.
According to TMZ; Wade recently appeared on the All The Smoke podcast hosted by #MattBarnes and #StephenJackson. One of the questions that was asked during the show’s recording pertained to Wade’s approach to parenting a gay son while being apart of such a masculine cultural sport.
“I had to look myself in the mirror when my son [ Zion, 12 ]at the time was 3 years old and me and my wife started having conversations about us noticing that he wasn’t on the boy vibe that Zaire [Wade’s other son] was on,” Wade says.
“And, I had to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘What if your son come home and tell you he’s gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act? It ain’t about him. He knows who he is. It’s about you. Who are you?'”
Wade openly admits to Barnes and Jackson that it wasn’t easy for him at first to deal with because he personally grew up ignorant.
“I grew up with the same perspective as a lot of these people out here that’s a little ignorant. I grew up with a similar perspective,” Wade says. “And, you meet people along the way that help you take those glasses off and put on some different ones. Look through life through a different lens. That’s what my wife has been able to do. So, it’s been cool.”
Wade alongside his wife #GabrielleUnion have been very public with their acceptance of Zion’s individuality. They’ve also been vocal upon their approach of protecting him from the negative comments social media users issue.
“Everybody get used to it, man,” Wade states. “This is the new normal. So if anybody different, we looked at as different. You know what I’m saying? The ones that don’t understand it. The ones that don’t get it. The ones that are stuck in a box. You’re different. Not the people that are out here living their lives, man.”
Wade condemns his son for being brave and living his truth at such a young age. He thanks his children for teaching him a realm of life he was once oblivious to. “You want to talk about strength and courage? My 12-year-old has way more than I have. You can learn something from your kids.”