The athletic universe can feel like an unwelcoming environment for transgender people to exist in, especially in collegiate and professional sports.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, an executive order that uses Title IX to effectively ban transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports at any school that receives federal funding. The order came after the House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, a bill that sought to accomplish the same thing, with a 218–206 majority. Two Democrat representatives from Texas joined their Republican colleagues in the “ayes.”
In the aftermath of the executive order and bill, there has been little noise from the most successful athletes in the sporting world.
While the silence from big names in professional sports regarding the exclusion of trans people in athletic spaces, and moreover the existence of trans people entirely, has remained consistent, one sports legend has been vocal about trans rights for years.
Since 2020, Dwyane Wade has been an outspoken ally of the trans community — due in a large part to his transgender daughter, Zaya.
Wade is a former star of the Miami Heat, where he spent all but two years of his 16-year Hall of Fame career. After Wade and his family returned to Miami for his final season in the NBA, all signs pointed to them residing in the Magic City for a long time … until Zaya came out.
At 12 years old, Zaya told her family and the world that she was transgender. Dwyane and his wife, Gabrielle Union, were quick to support Zaya, both privately and publicly. Unfortunately, Zaya’s announcement was met with a barrage of judgment and hatred, especially on social media.
Such vicious sentiments are all too common. Transgender people are one of the most vulnerable populations in terms of susceptibility to violence. The volume of anti-trans rhetoric has risen dramatically in the past few years, especially as America’s political climate becomes more polarized. Many of the anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been introduced in the last three years have targeted the transgender community. While politicians continue to demonize trans folks, violence against them continues to rise.
In 2023, there were 542 reported gender identity-motivated hate crimes against transgender people. In Zaya’s home state of Florida, three transgender people were killed in anti-trans attacks, including Monique Brooks, a Black woman. Another woman, Andrea Doria Dos Passos, was beaten to death in front of the Miami City Ballet, and Tee “Lagend Billions” Arnold, a Black man, was shot and killed.
Wade and Union made the decision to leave Miami, a city that had treated them well over the years, in an effort to support Zaya and ensure that she could grow up in a state where her existence would be welcomed and laws would be in place to protect her.
Now, two years after moving to California, Zaya is actively trying to make the world a better place for all trans kids.
On May 24, 2024, Zaya and Dwyane started Translatable, “a safe space for LGBTQIA+ youth to express themselves and is a resource hub for our parents, families, and support systems,” according to its website.
Translatable, which has partners in the Human Rights Campaign and the Trevor Project, offers online resources for transgender and nonbinary children and adults, along with their families. There are also videos of Dwyane and Zaya uploaded, including one of them making vision boards and manifesting their futures.
When the 17-year-old isn’t working alongside her dad, she is modeling as one of the faces of Miu Miu, a fashion company that is a subsidiary of Prada. According to their website, Miu Miu “conveys the essence of an emancipated and conscious woman. Miu Miu’s strength fluctuates between naïf spirit and iridescent subversion and it illustrates the most rebellious and seductive core of contemporary femininity.”
Zaya’s runway debut came at one of the largest annual fashion events — Paris Fashion Week 2023, where she walked the catwalk alongside nonbinary actor Emma Corrin.
Above all, Zaya says she is a self-proclaimed “nerd” and is currently in the midst of her junior year of high school and the college search process.
“I’m a student, that’s really my main thing,” Zaya said.
As Zaya continues to grow into womanhood, it is evident that Dwyane and Gabrielle will continue to be outspoken advocates for her and all trans people. Dwyane’s support for his daughter and the entire trans community has set an expectation for how his fellow athletes should treat their children, regardless of their gender expression and identity.