Basketball player Dwayne Wade revealed he and wife, Gabrielle Union, moved away from Florida to protect their transgender daughter.
On May 1, Wade attended the 2023 Met Gala and spoke with Variety about his decision to relocate to Los Angeles.
“One of our decisions was what was going to be the safest and best community for our daughter, Zaya,” he said.
The former Miami Heat player acknowledged the support from his fans and said he loves Miami and that “Florida has done so much” for him.
However, he added, “For the last couple of years, the laws, the politics, you know, has really become this big conversation, right?”
Continuing, he said, “It’s unsafe conversation, and it’s unsafe for my daughter, it’s unsafe for all the young kids and the youth and adults, the elder in the trans community. And so for us, as much as I love that city, as much as I’m always going to be a part of it, for the safety of my family, that’s what it was. I couldn’t move back.”
Dwyane Wade on moving away from Florida: “I love Miami. Miami’s done so much for me…but the last couple of years, the laws and the politics has really become this big conversation, this unsafe conversation. It’s unsafe for my daughter.” #MetGala https://t.co/OcPy5cjK1f pic.twitter.com/tQZPeaHns4
— Variety (@Variety) May 1, 2023
In 2020, Wade’s son, 15, came out as transgender and now goes by the name Zaya, according to the “Today” show.
The Florida Board of Medicine implemented a rule that prohibits all minors from receiving gender-affirming operations, according to NBC News.
In 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill which prohibits the teaching of “sexual orientation or gender identity” to students in kindergarten to third grade.
In an interview with Buzzfeed in March 2022, Union explained why she decided to support Zaya’s transition.
“It’s important for us to live and love out loud. We didn’t exactly understand why [supporting Zaya’s trans identity] was a thing, because it’s like, we love all our kids out loud. But it is a thing and a lot of people do need an example,” she said.
In 2020, Zaya came out as transgender and, after a legal battle between Wade and Zaya’s mom, ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches, Zaya was granted an official name and gender change in February, per NBC News.