I have extreme admiration for the Wade family’s love and unconditional support they have for Zaya Wade as she transitions. It’s no secret the stigma that unfortunately still persisits within the Black community around queerness and transness, especially among older generations. It’s refreshing to see a Black family at their status love their daughter out loud and walking with her as she embarks this new journey.
In February, the Wade’s welcomed Zaya to the world via Instagram while speaking about the importance of “being true” to oneself. Zaya’s older brother Zaire posted a heartfelt Instagram post supporting his sister’s transition.
Dwayne Wade being a well-known athlete and Black man while being supportive of his daughter is an important turning point in itself. Often times, due to toxic masculinity, men perpetrate homophobic and transphobic idealogy. Athletes also do not have the best track record when it comes to LGBTQ+ acceptance. Wade being an athlete gives him the platform to hold these important conversations and spread awareness of LGBTQ+ rights.
Some individuals have expressed they feel like the Wade’s are using their daughter as a publicity stunt. Personally, I completely disagree with this claim. I feel like those saying this are trying to silence the importance of having this conversation and normalizing it within the Black community. What the Wade’s are doing is using their influence within the Black and athlete community to publicly support their child. They are setting an example of what it means to love your child unconditionally.
Unfortunately, this support is rare, especially in the Black community. According to a survey done by the Human Rights Campaign, in 2019, 47% of Black LGBTQ+ youth said they were mocked or ridiculed by a family member and only 19% say they can totally be themselves. My favorite Wade moment occurred in his interview with Ellen where he spoke about Zaya being a leader and “this is our opportunity to allow you to be a voice”. I love that quote because my purpose in life is to give a voice to the voiceless. Often Black LGBTQ+ people are not accepted to spread awareness while living their true self. It’s refreshing to know that Zaya’s family supports her and encourages her to be a voice for the voiceless.
The biggest takeaway from this family’s very public situation is how powerful it isto listen to your children. Union said it best, “It's Ok to listen to, love & respect your children exactly as they are. Love and light good people”.Oftenin the Black community, there is a sense that children cannot express their emotions to their parentsdue to the stigma aroundmental health,homosexualityand transness.The fact that the Wade’s are normalizing having honest conversations with their children, acknowledging their emotions, and handling this change with grace is very admirable.
* Completed for “Introduction to Public Relations”. This is a piece created to highlight a family’s support of their transgender daughter catered towards those who may not understand why or to help those who are also dealing with the transition of a family member. This is an individual writing piece where I was able to educate others on entertainment news that had differing opinions from the world and I wanted to share my own thoughts.
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