Even though NBA legend Dwayne Wade guided the Heat to three NBA Championships after 14 complete seasons playing for Miami, he recently said in an interview that heβs left Florida because his family doesnβt agree with the latest social policies.
The former basketball player told journalist Rachel Nichols on βHeadlinersβ that heβs left the Sunshine State due to fears that his family would not βfeel comfortable thereβ, suggesting that his leaving is related to the newest legislation that banned school employees (or third parties) from giving classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation from kindergarten up until the third grade.
Dwyane Wade explains why he moved out of Florida
βMy family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so that’s one of the reasons why I don’t live there.β
(Via @people ) pic.twitter.com/s68Dp7jExV
β NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 26, 2023
Mostly Democrats have dubbed this law the βDonβt Say Gayβ bill, who believe it claims to ban any discussion about being gay in the stateβs public schools. As it was passed last year, President Biden considered it a βhateful billβ this past February.
This news is especially disturbing for Wade, considering that his 15-year-old daughter Zaya came out as a transgender girl, and his father won a hard-fought legal battle in a Los Angeles court to change her name and gender. This decision was controversial inside the family, as her biological mother was opposed to this legal action.
βThatβs another reason why I donβt live in that state,β Wade told the reporter. βA lot of people donβt know that. I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions.
βI mean, obviously, the tax [situation] is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And so thatβs one of the reasons why I donβt live there.β
The former basketball star says his daughterβs sex change was in her βbest interestβ
Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, his ex-wife, struggled a great deal to prevent Zaya from changing to an updated birth certificate, despite the former Miami star assuring this decision had been made in his daughterβs βbest interest.β According to the teenager, sheΒ identifies as a female since she was 12.
βThis Petition is about empowering Zaya to live her truth,β aΒ court document saidΒ regarding Zaya…