MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade returned to South Florida on Thursday to fight again.
He spent more than 14 seasons as a point guard for the Miami Heat, winning three championships and seeing Miami-Dade County nicknamed “Wade County,” and he still leads the franchise in everything from points and rebounds to personal fouls. But the struggle he described Thursday at the Elevate Prize Foundation's Make Good Famous Summit, after receiving the nonprofit organization's Elevate Prize Catalyst Award, might be the most personal of all.
“We've done so many wonderful things here, it wasn't easy to leave,” Wade told The Associated Press in an interview before the awards ceremony. “But the community wasn't here for Zaya, so the community wasn't here for us.”
Wade's daughter Zaya, who turns 17 next week, came out as transgender in 2020 amid anti-trans legislation in Florida and other states that led many trans adults to flee the state. The Wade family sold their Florida home last year and moved to California.
Accepting the award, Wade shared it with Zaya and credited her with inspiring the creation of Translatable, a new online community designed to support transgender children and their families.
“The question presented to you was, 'If there's one thing you want to see changed in this community, what would it be?'” Wade recalled. “And, for her, it goes right to the parents. It goes right to the adults. It goes right to us. It's not the kids. It's us. And so she wanted to create a space that felt safe for parents and their children. That It's Translatable and it's your baby.”
Wade hopes that Translatable, which is funded by the Wade Family Foundation, will provide a community to “support growth, mental health and well-being, and that this space will ignite more conversations that lead to greater understanding and acceptance.” He said he will use the $250,000 in unrestricted funding that comes with the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award for Translatable.
Carolina García Jayaram, executive director of the Elevate Prize Foundation, said that after hearing Wade's plans, her nonprofit made a separate additional donation to Translatable.
“Dwyane Wade and what he represents speaks to the spirit of the entire foundation,” Jayaram told the AP. “He's a huge hero in the sports universe and even beyond basketball. He's been in the social justice space almost since the beginning of his NBA career, and most people don't know it.”
Jayaram said Wade felt empowered when Zaya came out as transgender in 2020 and that it was “so deeply inspiring to us that we were dying to be a part of what he is building.”
The Elevate Prize Catalyst award helps its winners, including actors Matt Damon and Michael J. Fox and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, amplify their philanthropic work by using the foundation's resources and connections to inspire more donors and supporters.
Jayaram also praised Wade's decision to launch Translatable in Florida, “a place where many might feel a sense of exclusion.”
Wade said Translatable, built with support from the Human Rights Campaign and the Trevor Project, will focus on supporting communities of color and emphasize the importance of parents and family.
“We understand that in this state not everyone thinks like everyone else thinks,” he said. “Like most things in life, once you know them, you are more able to be understanding. And if you don't want to know them, in a sense you are still ignorant.”
Alexander Roque, executive director of the Ali Forney Center, which helps homeless LGBTQ+ youth, said Translatable comes at a critical time for transgender youth, with more than 500 anti-LGBTQ laws introduced this year.
“Not all bills become law, but they are all acts of hate that affect our children in very devastating ways,” he said. “We know statistically that every time an anti-LGBTQ bill appears in the media, there is a 400% increase in calls to suicide hotlines from youth. We also know that we are seeing a significant increase in LGBTQ youth without home due to family rejection. “So having someone so famous so involved in the community is helping to turn the tide of what is happening to our children and is perhaps one of the most hopeful moments in what I hope will be a changing tide”.
Dr. Michelle Forcier, a physician at Folx Health, which provides health services for LGBTQIA+ people nationwide, said creating an online community for trans youth is a specific program that would be helpful.
“Youth is all about communication, socialization and electronic and online communities,” he said. “So if you're trying to support young people, it makes sense to be part of how young people feel more comfortable communicating.”
That this community comes from a celebrity ally makes it more impactful, Forcier said.
“The transgender and gender diverse community does not have the deep pockets, including financial, political and media resources, that the anti-transgender and anti-diversity political and advocacy community has,” he said. “Having a champion come forward for some of our most vulnerable – transgender and gender diverse youth and the families who care for them – would be a truly heroic act and possibly change the game entirely.”
