Former Miami Heat shooting guard and NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade announced this week that he is launching a new online community called “Translatable” to support transgender kids.
Wade announced Translatable when he received the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award at the Elevate Prize Foundation’s Make Good Famous Summit. During the awards ceremony, Wade said that the founding of Translatable was inspired by his biological son, Zaya, who came out as transgender and began living as a girl at age 12.
“She was asked the question, ‘If there was one thing you wanted to change in this community, what would it be?'” Wade recalls. “And for her, that directly relates to parents, adults, and us. Not the kids, but us. So she wanted to create a space where parents and kids could feel safe. That’s what Translatable is, and it’s her treasure.”
American actress Gabrielle Union (second from left) and her husband, former professional basketball player Dwyane Wade, with their daughters Zaya Wade (left) and Ka’via James Union Wade (second from right), arrive at the premiere of Disney’s “Cheaper by the Dozen” at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 16, 2022. (Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images)
Translatable is funded by the Wade Family Foundation to provide a community that “supports growth, mental health, and well-being, and this space will inspire more conversations and increase understanding and acceptance.” Wade has also committed to “spend $250,000 in unrestricted funding from the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award for Translatable.” ESPN.
Carolina Garcia Jayaram, CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation, said the foundation made a separate donation to Translatable after hearing about Wade’s plans.
“Dwyane Wade and what he represents speaks to the spirit of the entire foundation,” Jayaram told The Associated Press. “He’s a hero in the sports world and beyond basketball. He’s been involved in social justice issues almost since the beginning of his NBA career, and most people don’t know that.”
Wade also plans to launch Translatable in Florida, a state she previously fled because of laws banning transgender people in women’s sports.
Zaya Wade, Ka’Via James Wade, 2023 Hall of Fame inductees Dwyane Wade and Zaire Wade attend the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2023 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
“In this state, we understand that not everyone thinks the same way as everyone else,” he said. “Like most things in life, once you know, your ability to understand increases. So if you don’t want to know, you’re going to remain ignorant in a sense.”
Alexander Roque, executive director of the Ali Forney Center, which supports homeless LGBTQ+ youth, said any bill that would ban biological males from women’s sports or women’s restrooms was an “act of hate.”
“While not all of these bills will become law, they are all acts of hate and will have a devastating impact on children,” he said. “Statistically, we know that every time anti-LGBTQ bills are in the media, there is a 400 percent increase in calls to youth suicide hotlines.”
“We also know that we’re seeing a huge increase in LGBTQ youth without a place to live due to rejection from their families, so having this celebrity deeply involved in the community will help change the tide of what’s happening to these kids and is probably one of the most hopeful moments I hope for in changing the tide,” Roque added.
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