As he accepted his award, Wade also credited Zaya for being the inspiration behind Translatable, “a new online community designed to support transgender children and their families.”
Dwyane Wade continues to put his support behind the LGBTQ+ community. During a recent visit to South Florida, the NBA legend detailed his latest business venture while simultaneously receiving the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award during The Elevate Prize Foundation’s Make Good Famous Summit.
“We’ve done so many great things here, so it wasn’t easy to leave,” Wade told the outlet ahead of the event. “But the community wasn’t here for Zaya, so the community wasn’t here for us.”
As he accepted his award, Wade also credited Zaya for being the inspiration behind Translatable, “a new online community designed to support transgender children and their families.”
“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?’” Wade recounted. “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.”
Funded by the Wade Family Foundation, the Chicago native has one hope for the new online platform, and that is to provide a community that will “support growth, mental health, and well-being, and that this space ignites more conversations leading to greater understanding and acceptance.”
“Dwyane Wade and what he represents speaks to the ethos of the whole foundation,” said Elevate Prize Foundation CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram. “He is such a hero in the sports universe and even beyond basketball. He’s been in the social justice space almost since the very beginning of his NBA career, and most people don’t know that.”
For Wade, supporting trans rights is just an extension of his work as a father; and FOLX Health clinician Dr. Michelle Forcier said that an online community for trans youth is a program that can be very helpful.
“Youth are all about electronic and online communication, socialization, and communities,” she said. “So if you are trying to support youth, it only makes sense to be a part of how youth feel most comfortable communicating.”
Along with the aforementioned donation, Translatable is also made possible thanks to the support of the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project.
Source: Black Enterprise
