Dwyane Wade and his daughter, Zaya Wade, have announced the launch of their new online community called Translatable. The platform is dedicated to supporting transgender children and their families, and providing a space for connection.
The inspiration behind Translatable is none other than Zaya herself.
Dwyane explained in a recent interview, “The question was presented to her as, ‘If you have one thing that you want to see change in this community, what would it be?'”
He went on to say, “And, for her, it goes right to 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 kids. That’s what Translatable is, and it’s her baby.”
Zaya, who came out as transgender in 2020 at the age of 12, has faced her journey with both support and criticism.
Despite the challenges, the teen, now approaching her 17th birthday, has poured her heart into the creation of Translatable. Dwyane is immensely proud of his daughter’s strength and commitment.
“She didn’t ask for this extra excitement in life,” Wade said . “She just wanted to be a kid and do kid things and live her life and be selfish and worry about herself. That’s what you’re supposed to do at her age, worry about you. But she’s thinking about a larger community, and so I’m damn proud of her as a father.”
On Thursday, Dwyane Wade received the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award in for his advocacy work benefiting the transgender community. The former NBA star, who shared the honor with his daughter, believes this new award is more personal than his basketball accomplishments.
He told PEOPLE, “Sports is something you can expect an award from.” “But this one right here is not one of those things that I would expect to get an award for. I’m just a parent doing what a good parent should do.”
