NBA legend Dwyane Wade has opened up on why he and his family had to flee Florida. Their reason for fleeing Florida is because his transgender daughter Zaya Wade felt unsafe in Florida under the state’s anti-LGBTQ policies.
According to the Daily Mail;
NBA legend Dwyane Wade has revealed that he and his family left Florida due to what he claims are restrictive policies that infringe on the rights of LGBTQ people.
The former Miami Heat star has four children including 15-year-old daughter Zaya who came out as transgender in 2020.
She has since legally changed her name and gender, with Wade being outspoken in his support of her.
The three-time NBA champion had Zaya with his high school sweetheart and first wife Siohvaughn Funches in 2007 before his marriage to Gabrielle Union.
He has spoken about the need to accept and embrace people for who they are, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation and his advocacy for the LGBTQ community has earned him widespread praise and admiration.
During an interview with journalist, host and NBA reporter Rachel Nichols on her show Headliners, Wade explained why he decided to leave the state he called home, despite being a celebrated figure.
‘You know, obviously, the taxes are great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And, so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there,’ he stated.
‘A lot of people don’t know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions.’
Wade explained how specific policies and laws passed by the state of Florida now make it hard for Wade and his family to feel accepted and comfortable in the state.
Only last week educators in all Florida public schools for all grade levels are now banned from teaching students about gender identity and sexual orientation in a sweeping move announced by Ron DeSantis’s board of education.
The move marks a huge expansion of the The Parental Rights in Education law – also dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill by critics – which was signed last year by the governor and sparked a firestorm across the country.
Critics of the policy claim it could harm children who identify as gay and transgender.
While the previous version of the law prohibited instruction of these topics to children ages 5 through 8, and the expansion would now apply to students up to the age of 18.
The new rule – which will now apply to grades four to 12 in the state after previously capping at 3rd grade – comes as DeSantis is touring the early primary contest state of South Carolina, where he railed against ‘ woke ‘ issues like transgenderism.
‘It is wrong for a teacher to tell a student that they may have been born in the wrong body or that their gender is a choice,’ DeSantis said during his remarks in Charleston, South Carolina, last Wednesday morning.
‘So we don’t let that happen in Florida,’ he lauded. ‘Disney objects to that, well so be it, we’re going to do that.’
DeSantis, however, argues that parents, not teachers, should talk to their children about sexual identity and gender identification.
Wade’s legacy in the state is undeniable having played 15 seasons for the Miami Heat helping to win three NBA championships. He also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls during his career.
It should be noted that Wade is part owner of Utah Jazz and that state isn’t known for its progressive views.
More from @People excerpting our Headliners interview with Dwyane Wade – Dwyane discussing why he felt he needed to move out of the state where he played most of his career:https://t.co/BRU8KkKYA0 pic.twitter.com/Fz0m3wsrqR
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 26, 2023
