NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade launches online community to support transgender youth

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – NBA Hall of Famer and Chicago Sky co-owner Dwyane Wade was back in South Florida Thursday to return to action.

Wade, a Chicago native, played more than 14 seasons as a guard for the Miami Heat in the NBA, winning three championships. Miami-Dade County earned the nickname “Wade County,” and he's still the franchise's best player in everything from points and rebounds to personal fouls. But the struggle he presented Thursday at the Elevate Prize Foundation's Make Good Famous Summit after receiving the nonprofit's Elevate Prize Catalyst Award is perhaps the most personal of all.

“We've done so many great things here that it wasn't easy for us to leave,” Wade told the Associated Press in an interview before the awards ceremony. “But the community wasn't there for Zaya, so the community wasn't there 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 prompted many transgender adults to leave the state. The Wade family sold their Florida home last year and moved to California.

Accepting the award, Wade shared it with Zaya and thanked her for inspiring him to create Translatable, a new online community to support transgender children and their families.

“The question was posed to her like, 'If you want to change one thing in this community, what would it be?'” Wade recalls. “And for her, it goes directly to the parents. It goes directly to the adults. It goes directly to us. It's not about the kids. It's about us. And so she wanted to create a place where parents and their kids feel safe. That's Translatable, and it's her baby.”

Wade hopes Translatable, which is funded by the Wade Family Foundation, will create a community that “promotes growth, mental health and well-being, and that this space will inspire further 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 Garcìa Jayaram, CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation, said her nonprofit made an additional donation to Translatable after learning of Wade's plans.

“Dwyane Wade and what he stands for reflects the ethos of the entire foundation,” Jayaram told AP. “He's such a hero in the sports universe and even beyond basketball. He's been committed to social justice almost since the beginning of his NBA career, and most people don't know that.”

Jayaram said Wade felt empowered when Zaya came out as transgender in 2020 and that it was “such a profound inspiration to us that we longed to be a part of what he was building.”

The Elevate Prize Catalyst Award helps its winners, who include actors Matt Damon and Michael J. Fox and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, among others, amplify their philanthropic work by leveraging 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 excluded.”

Wade said Translatable, developed with support from the Human Rights Campaign and the Trevor Project, will focus on supporting communities of color and highlight the importance of parents and family.

“We understand that not everyone in this state thinks the same way,” he said. “As with most things in life, once you know them, you are more understanding. And if you don't want to know them, you remain ignorant in some ways.”

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 bills 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. “Statistically, we know that every time an anti-LGBTQ bill appears in the media, there is a 400% increase in calls to suicide hotlines by young people. We also know that the number of LGBTQ youth who are homeless due to family rejection is increasing significantly. So when someone like this celebrity is so involved in the community, it helps turn the tide of what is happening to our children and is perhaps one of the most hopeful moments in what I hope is a turning point.”

Dr. Michelle Forcier, a clinician at FOLX Health, which provides health services for LGBTQIA+ people nationwide, said creating an online community for transgender youth is a special program that would be helpful.

“Teens are all about electronic and online communication, socialization and communities,” she said. “So when you're trying to support teens, it only makes sense to be part of the communication that teens are most comfortable with.”

The fact that this community comes from a prominent ally gives it even more impact, 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 antidiversity policy and advocacy community has,” she said. “To have a champion standing up for some of our most vulnerable — transgender and gender diverse youth and the families who care for them — that would be a truly heroic act and could be a total game changer.”