- Former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade recently explained why he and his family left Florida in 2021.
- Wade and his family, including his 15-year-old trans daughter, Zaya, did not feel “comfortable” there.
- Despite the fond memories, she said anti-LGBTQ laws made her family feel out of place in Florida.
Former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade has spoken about his family’s decision to leave Florida in 2021, saying it had to do with the Sunshine State’s conservative political turnaround.
In a new interview with People magazine, Wade said he had good memories in Florida, but he and his family, including his 15-year-old transgender daughter Zaya, would not be “accepted” in the state. Wade told People that after a series of anti-LGBTQ laws were passed in Florida, his family made the decision to move.
“That’s another reason why I don’t live in that state,” Wade told People, referring to anti-transgender laws recently passed in Florida.
In the interview, Wade referred to tax breaks in Florida and the state’s decision to rename Miami-Dade County to “Miami-Wade” County in July 2010 as things he appreciated about the state. Wade played for the Heat for 15 years and won 3 NBA championships with the team.
“I mean, obviously, the tax [situation] it’s great. Having Wade County is great,” Wade said. “But my family would not be accepted or comfortable there. And that’s one of the reasons I don’t live there.”
In the past year, the Florida legislature has passed laws restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a law that prevents trans students from playing female sportsand an educational measure that prohibits talking about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through grade 12.
The weather has become so unwelcoming that the largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group in the state issued a travel advisory in April for community members visiting the state.
