Former NBA star Dwayne Wade told CNN that he fears for his transgender child, Zaya, and disagrees with legislation that would make “gender-affirming” procedures on children illegal.
Wade, who is married to actress Gabrielle Union, made the comments during the TIME100 Summit on Tuesday. He also told CNN host Poppy Harlow that he disagrees with athletes being required to compete in categories that correspond with their biological sex and laws banning “gender-affirming medical care,” according to Time.
“To me, it’s a joke. This is our life. We live this. When you’re out there making rules, if you’re not experiencing this, if you’re not living this, and you’re just out there signing away and making laws, that’s not right. That’s a joke,” the 40-year-old father of four said. “Come and live a day in my world with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her.”
“I just think we’re losing the human side of us,” Wade said.
“As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves the house,” Wade continued. “And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world.”
He questioned why we’re not “educating our kids” in schools on trans issues. “You can’t close the book and what someone wants, and how they feel they are,” he said. “I just don’t understand.”
Wade and Union’s child came out as transgender at the age of 12 in 2020, The Daily Wire previously reported.
“When our 8-year-old daughter, Zaya Wade, came home and said she had something to tell us, when she came out to us, as a family, we admitted that we weren’t as educated about the LGBTQ+ community as we should have been,” Wade said during a speech at the Better Brothers LA’s Truth Awards that year.
The NBA star continued, explaining how he and Union turned to a “male couple” to help them “navigate the right language to use, the questions to ask, and what to listen for,” on the matter.
“They also reminded us to make sure Zaya knew her community and felt the love and support inside and outside from home,” Wade continued.
“From working closely with Zaya to design her room in our homes to make sure that her most authentic self was represented and that her bedroom felt like her sanctuary. Now, that may seem small, but taking the time to make sure Zaya felt seen and heard as she created her own space for us was key. It was key to Zaya’s comfort and her confidence,” he said.