Zaya Wade is the 12-year-old child of Dwyane Wade who has been forging her own path in the realm of gender identity. At a young age, Zaya has recognized that she would prefer to go by female pronouns which is something the Wade family has completely embraced. Yesterday,  on the Ellen Degeneres show. Meanwhile,  who spoke about her own struggle for acceptance amongst her peers.

Today, Zaya’s older brother Zaire took to Instagram where he penned a touching tribute to his younger sibling. Throughout the Instagram post, Zaire talks about how he always wanted a sibling to play with and that throughout the years, he has always had unconditional love for Zaya. Regardless of her name, that love will never change.

Per @zaire:

“Man, I remember bugging my mom as a kid telling her I wanted a brother so bad. I was the only child looking for company and someone to look after and take care of. I have been blessed to have my best friend, Zaya with me for 12 years. We did everything together…we fought, we played, we laughed and we cried. But the one thing we never did was leave each other behind… I’ve told you that I would lay my life down to make sure you are ten toes down and happy on this earth. I don’t care what they think Z, you are my best friend and I love you kid, and if it means anything, just know there’s no love lost on this side.”

Based on this post, it’s clear there is a ton of unity within the Wade family which is a beautiful thing to see. We’re sure Zaya appreciated her brother’s support considering how her story became a trending topic yesterday.