This past weekend, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade did what parents around the world should all do: They supported their child.
Each year, a conglomerate of homosexuals swarm South Beach in Miami to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Miami Beach Pride brings people from all walks of life together to celebrate love and the freedom to be who they are.
Wade’s 11-year-old son Zion Wade attended the march with his family, including his stepmom, Gabrielle Union. “We support each other with Pride,” Wade wrote on Instagram over a photo of his son at the event.
What was meant to be a celebratory act of support turned into a chance for the degenerate to sling their homophobia and share their unsolicited opinions on the family’s activities.
The Den of Iniquity known as TheShadeRoom’s comment section was lit up with tons of homophobic commentary. One user stated “God needs to come back and correct us all,” while another unfortunate-faced human asked, “Why is this ok?! A child doesn’t know who they are at this age.”
The ignorance was at an all-time high, and it made all 55 shades of my homosexuality cringe. It is obvious that many have forgotten that minding your black-ass business is an act that’ll cost you absolutely nothing. Participation? It is free.
Currently children—particularly LGBTQIA+-identified children—commit suicide at alarming rates because of a lack of acceptance from their parental figures in particular. I am not one to applaud people for doing what they’re supposed to do, but in this instance, I stand with both hands clapping loudly for Wade and Union.
Fun fact: I came out to my mother the day The Root first interviewed Gabrielle Union. During a call to tell her about the interview, I decided to come out to her, and when I broke the news to her, she told me she would pray to God to have me changed. That response hurt me to my core because she is a woman who has always been there for me; to hear those words to this day still stings. Our relationship has not been the same since, and while she has apologized for those remarks, I struggle to get back to the point where we once were. Will we return to that place? Only time will tell.
Even at my “big age,” I would have killed to have had the kind of unwavering support that Zion’s family showed him. Being black in America is a hard enough life to live; adding on other qualifiers that are not universally accepted doesn’t make this shit a walk in the park.
A parent’s love is instrumental in the outcome of a child’s life—and that love and support can make or break them. If a family is showering their child with love and support, it would behoove you to applaud them. If you can’t do that, minding your business is still an option that is always on the table.