NFL
Love In Public
Dr. Cornel Westsaid that “justice is what love looks like in public.” Dwyane Wade embodies that concept to the fullest.
He and his wife Gabrielle Union introduced the world to their 12-year-old transgender daughter Zaya.
On social media and on Ellen, DWade used that platform to share the story of how Zaya came out.
DWade also told how Zaya asked to be called by she/her pronouns.
He also discussed that he and Gabrielle reached out to LGBTQ organizations such as GLSEN and the cast of the hit FX show Pose, which centers on the life of the black and brown LGBTQ community in the 1980s.
The unconditional love coming from DWade radiated throughout.
His support for his daughter comes when black trans women and girls are under assault.
Women Under Assault
According to the Human Rights Campaign, 26 transgender and gender non-conforming people were killed in 2019, the majority of whom are black trans women.
Also, rights and protections in housing, health care, education, and the military are rolling back.
Furthermore, various states are introducing anti-LGBTQ laws that are rooted in systemically erasing transgender people from existing in public space.
In the world of sports, black trans female athletes such as Andrya Yearwood, Terry Miller, and CeCe Telfer, who accomplish so much and have open doors for others, receive racist and transphobic attacks.
Nevertheless, they persist, and their visibility is saving lives.
One can say the same for Pose, where the leading characters are black and brown trans women.
DWade’s powerful example of fatherhood falls right in.
Life Unexpected
Later this year, ESPN will showcase DWade’s personal life and journey in the documentary DWade: Life Unexpected.
In it, his role as father to Zaya and his other children will be of great focus.
As a man, he showcases an ideal rooted in that unconditional love, kindness, and acceptance. It’s instead of the patriarchal and oppressive ethos of hypermasculinity, toughness, and insensitivity.
The concept of a parent loving their child for who they are shouldn’t be a radical thought.
But in the times that we are in, his model of fatherhood is much needed.
And for that, Dwyane Wade is indeed America’s Dad.
