Gabrielle Union has opened up about the backlash that she and husband Dwayne Wade has received for their support of their trangender daughter Zaya. In an interview with Adweek, she said, “This girl lives her best life. And you know, you see things written online and it’s like, wow, there’s a lot of people who really want us to hate our child and to renege on our love and our support of her living her full and best and most authentic life. And we just won’t. We will never.”
She continued, “And just watching her thrive and be so happy and live her best life. Like anytime I’m like, ugh, I just see Zaya turning cartwheels on the lawn. And I’m like, you know what? It’s not that bad.”
GABRIELLE SPEAKS ON CALLING OUT NBC FOR RACISM
The actress also discussed calling out NBC over the alleged racism that created a toxic work environment behind the scenes of America's Got Talent. She said, “For real change, it takes all of those people who’ve been standing around watching it happen, letting it happen, being responsible for it happening. You have to call it out in real time and not let it go. And I think for most people, it’s terrifying—the idea of sacrificing your livelihood and how you feed your family. But if you’re in a position of privilege and you’re damn clear about that privilege and you do nothing, then you’re part of the problem.”
She added, “It got to a point for me—it was like, how many checks do me and my husband need to have before I feel comfortable enough to stand up and say something? … When people ask, What does success look like? I’m like, ‘Freedom.’ Success looks like being able to exist and do a job that I love and pull as many talented people up who’ve never been given an opportunity.”