MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade addresses the crowd during his jersey retirement ceremony at American Airlines Arena on February 22, 2020 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union continue to be exemplary, understanding, and supportive parents to their 13-year-old daughter Zaya who came out as transgender.
With their support and encouragement of Zaya's life journey to self-discovery alongside other people, such as former first lady Michelle Obama speaking with Zaya in a recent uplifting interview, some people unfortunately still have negative things to say.
Rappers such as Boosie Badazz and many others made some transphobic remarks due to not understanding Zaya's identity.
In February, Boosie claimed he was denied entry into o a Planet Fitness gym because of transphobic rhetoric he made towards Wade's daughter.
"Do not go to Planet Fitness. They racist, they haters. They just put me out Planet Fitness for what I said about Dwyane Wade son," he said in a since-deleted Instagram video misgendering Zaya.
I have no words for this level of ignorance and rudeness, especially when talking about children.
Due to the comments, Dwyane Wade set aside time to address the recent hateful rhetoric against his daughter in the latest episode of I Am Athlete.
"It's people in the transgender community that are getting killed. It's kids that are murdering themselves that are hanging themselves; they're killing themselves because of something as simple as acceptance, said Wade. "Something as simple as unconditional love is not being given to these kids, and I'll be damned if my child gon' be that person because of something as simple as me supporting who you are."
Wade is right; we have to show love and respect to one another, especially when people can be so cruel about differences.
He then added the following: "... All the people who got something to say about my kids, I thank you because you're allowing the conversation to keep going forward because you know what? You might not have the answer today, I don't have all the answers, but we're growing from all these conversations. So I thank everybody for even hating and starting those conversations because those conversations are starting other conversations that we need to have ..."
Well said!
Dwyane Wade's answer encompassed the epitome of what it means to be a parent raising a child and accepting them for who they are no matter what. Just trust the journey and learn to put an end to the hate because of differences.
What are your thoughts about Dwayne Wade's uplifting response to negative comments?
Check out I Am Athlete around the 1:30:00 mark and onward.
Dwyane Wade: The G.O.A.T. of Parenting | I AM ATHLETE w/ Brandon Marshall, Ryan Clark & Moreyoutu.be
Conversations reached out to Boosie Badazz who declined to comment on the situation.
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