Why ex-NBA star Dwyane Wade is being called 'inspirational' for his LGBTQ stance

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union with their children Kaavia, 1, and Zion, 12. Photo / Instagram

Retired NBA star Dwyane Wade is being hailed as an inspiration for his stance on LGBTQ issues and opening up about his evolution toward accepting his child's gender identity.

Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, were forced to deal with online trolls recently after posting a photo to social channels that included their 12-year-old son Zion wearing feminine clothing.

It's not the first time the pair have felt the wrath of social media over Zion's gender identity. In October, Wade posted a photo of Zion with Union and the pair's youngest Kaavia, 1, and captioned the image, "My girls" which saw plenty of backlash from users, with whom Wade and Union jousted online.

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Grateful ❤❤❤ Happy Thanksgiving good people. To all the friends and family that have my back and all the friends and family I've never met who show love and support when everyone is looking and when no one is looking...All praise, gratitude and thankfulness

A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Nov 28, 2019 at 3:02pm PST

In an interview on the All the Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, both former NBA players, Wade, a three-time NBA champion, discussed his evolution toward accepting Zion's gender identity.

"I've watched my son, from day one, become into who she now eventually has come into," he said. "For me it's all about, nothing changes with my love. Nothing changes with my responsibilities. Only thing I got to do now is get smarter and educate myself more. And that's my job.

"All these people that's out there saying those [hateful] things, look at yourself," Wade said on the podcast. "Understand that you're the one that's got the issues. You're the one that's got the problems. It's not the kids."

Wade and Union have four children: Zaire, 17; Zion, 12; Xavier, 6; and Kaavia, 1. Their three oldest children are Wade's from previous relationships. Zaire has also found himself in the spotlight, playing alongside LeBron James' son, Bronny, in high school basketball and being touted as an NBA star of the future.

During the podcast, Wade compared the 'vibe' Zaire and Zion were on, and said Union "gave me some different lenses to look through" and "changed my whole perspective" on LGBTQ issues.

"I had to look myself in the mirror when my son at the time was three years old and me and my wife started having conversations about us noticing that he wasn't on the boy vibe that Zaire was on," he said. "I had to look myself in the mirror and say: 'What if your son comes home and tells 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?' "

His interview caught the attention of many, who voiced their appreciation for the retired NBA star on twitter.

Julián Castro, a Democratic presidential candidate and former Housing and Urban Development secretary, called Wade "an inspiration."

"His unconditional love for Zion will give other parents the courage to love and respect their children for who they truly are," Castro wrote.