American basketball player Dwyane Wade and his trans daughter Zaya have launched Translatable, a new digital platform designed to offer education, support, and a creative outlet to transgender youth and their families.

Translatable will provide educational tools for the family and friends of trans youth as well as a safe space to express themselves.

Zaya said the platform will particularly focus on communities of colour in an effort to “centre the most marginalised, and emphasise the importance of parents and family.”

The space was designed to: “support growth, mental health, and well-being,” as well as “ignite more conversations leading to greater understanding and acceptance.”

On Thursday, May 23, Dwyane Wade was recognised with the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award during the foundation’s Make Good Famous Summit for his advocacy for the trans community.

The NBA Hall of Fame star is the first athlete to receive the award, which is typically given to public figures who use their platforms to encourage social action. Wade plans to use the $250,000 award to support trans youth through Translatable, which was built with support from the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project.

Following the ceremony, Dwyane and Zaya introduced Translatable together on social media.

Zaya came out as trans when she was 12 years old in 2020 while a wave of anti-transgender legislation was happening in Florida. Together, the Wade family decided to sell their home in Florida and move to California.

The move came as a surprise to many NBA fans who had supported Dwayne through his 14 seasons playing as a guard for the Miami Heat. After winning three championships alongside his team, fans nicknamed Miami-Dade “Wade County”.

Dwyane Wade told The Associated Press: “We’ve done so many great things here so it wasn’t easy to leave, but the community wasn’t here for Zaya, so the community wasn’t here for us.”

Wade has since described Zaya as his “biggest educator and inspiration” and explained that when it comes to needing change: “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.”

 

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According to the Translatable Project website: “Born out of modern day narratives of love, acceptance, gratitude, loyalty, community, and equity, the Wade Family authentically shares who they are, and boldly offers their point of view on issues that matter, always inviting others into the conversation.”

Alexander Roque, the Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center, which supports unhoused LGBTQ+ youth, said that Translatable was being launched during a critical time for transgender youth, especially considering that more than 500 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation were introduced in the US this year.

He said: “Every time there’s an anti-LGBTQ bill in the media, there’s a 400% increase in calls to suicide hotlines by young people. We also know that we’re seeing a significant increase in unhoused LGBTQ youth because of family rejection.”

Roque added: “To have someone of this celebrity so invested in the community, it’s helping to change the tide of what’s happening to our kids and perhaps one of the most hopeful moments in what I hope is a changing tide.”

Elevate Prize Foundation CEO, Carolina Garcìa Jayaram, said that her nonprofit is making an additional donation to Translatable. She described Dwayne as “a hero in the sports universe and even beyond basketball” who has been a social justice activist since the beginning of his NBA career.