Dwyane Wade is America's Father Figure

As if America needed another reason to aspire to the parenting goals of Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, the pair just raised the bar for parents. Wade has previously shared how his child revealed her preference for being addressed by pronouns like she and her, and now Wade has shared that she now prefers to be called Zaya. Wade and his family have been supportive of Zaya's journey, despite when the public hasn't. The family even received scrutiny for attending gay a pride event during 2019. Regardless, nothing has stopped the Wade family from surrounding Zaya with love.

Wade made the revelation during an interview on the Ellen DeGeneres show, where he recounted the conversation with Zaya. "When our child comes home with a question, when our child comes home with an issue, when our child comes home with anything, it's our job as parents to listen to that, to give them the best information we can, the best feedback we can... and that doesn't change because sexuality is now involved."

Fathers like Wade are helping to move away from the stigma of having a gay child, rejecting the notion of disowning or causing harm because of ones sexuality. A stigma within the African American community, that has been challenged as recently as Kevin Harts insensitive comments of how he would handle having a gay son. Comments which led to backlash and caused Hart to lose his spot as the host for that years Oscars. Fast forward two years later and the conversation surrounding parenting and homosexuality has changed greatly. Wade comments offer a new look at the evolution of Black fathers, especially amongst public figures. Father's day is still a few months away however it is never too early, or late, to celebrate Black father figures and those who are helping to change the idea of what it means to be a father in a non traditional family unit.

My Issue with Gayle vs. Snoop

Gayle King set social media ablaze with the release of her interview with Lisa Leslie discussing the legacy of Kobe Bryant. The release of the teaser outraged friends and fans alike with the clip focusing on Gayle questioning Leslie on the past allegations of Bryant's sexual assault case. Setting aside that the case was dismissed and settled out of court, and the fact that Bryant hasn't been laid to rest yet, Gayle still thought it crucial to mention this. The backlash was immediate, leading to King post a video reacting to the public backlash and an attempt to give her side of the story.

However the damage was done, with outrage coming from celebrities such Snoop Dogg and Boosie, which created it's own backlash amid claims of misogyny and now only a few days later the narrative has been changed with the focus now being on how Black men treat and speak to Black women. 

Here's the thing, yes the teaser for the interview was shown out of context and presented the idea that it was about the sexual assault case in its entirety, and yes Gayle was technically doing her job as a journalist but it doesn't negate that the question was inappropriate to ask. It was not only disrespectful to his passing but also to his wife and family. Of course, the clip was chosen to attract as much attention as possible, and while it worked Gayle certainly can't be shocked by the outrage the question itself caused and the focus and redirection of how this rage is shown only distracts from the real issue at hand. And yes, while Snoop's words were colorful one shouldn't have seriously taken his words as a threat. They were passionate words spoken by a man in mourning, something all can relate to. This doesn't quite fit the criteria for being misogynistic. Now that Gayle's best friend has revealed how King has since received death threats since the clip aired Snoop Dogg has replaced Gayle as public enemy no. 1 leading the rapper to issue his own apology, in response to being criticized for threatening King.

While many choose sides, what is being forgotten is that this debate was never about either Gayle or Snoop this was about the disrespect to the passing and family of Bryant. While I respect Black women, when it comes to this  particular situation I agree with the majority that what Gayle did was a bitchy thing to do.