US supports ban on hormone blockers for transgender minors
The Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, dealing a significant blow to transgender rights in the United States.
Unbranded – Newsworthy
AUSTIN — Dwyane Wade is a basketball star, philanthropist and father of transgender daughter Zaya. He has been outspoken in his support for the 18-year-old, forging his own path in an increasingly hostile environment for LGBTQ+ rights. He executive produced a documentary called “The Dads,” which premiered March 14 at SXSW.
This book chronicles a group of fathers of transgender and gender-expansive children who bond over a year of shared experiences at a retreat in rural Maine and Minnesota. According to the Williams Institute, there are approximately 2.8 million transgender people in the United States. That’s less than 1% of this country’s population.
If the title “The Dads” sounds familiar, it’s because it comes from the Emmy Award-winning 2023 Netflix short of the same name. The tone of this sequel feature-length documentary shifts to one of anger and frustration as the fathers grapple with the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s re-election to the White House and the Supreme Court’s decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
Some fathers of transgender and non-binary children asked themselves, “Should I stay in the country and fight for my child, or should I pack my bags?”
“Sometimes in life’s journey you feel like you’re alone, especially in this case,” Wade said of what drew him to the project. “I thought I was alone, but I realized there are other fathers out there. There are other fathers of color. You never know about a community.”
In the United States, satisfaction with LGBTQ+ acceptance has declined after a decade of rise amid debates about gender-affirming care and transgender athletes.
“We need to understand what the human toll is on these families. All these laws, all the misinformation, all the hate, and that’s the antidote,” added director Lucina Fischer of the titular fathers. “They show what unconditional love really looks like.”
For Wade, the choice to appear in the documentary was a “no-brainer”. “I’m really happy to have done that,” he added. “Because today we need to be even more uplifted than yesterday.”
Wade has the right words for those who don’t understand his perspective, from parents struggling to accept their transgender children to the Trump administration.
“I always keep it simple. I think everything in our world can be solved with a four-letter word called love. That’s what I lead with. That’s what I try to give to every human being, every person I meet. We all live in this world. No one has an answer to that. We don’t have all the answers. I don’t agree with anyone who tries to put anyone down.”
Wade knows that everyone in this world is unique. “The beauty of this world is that we’re not all the same. I hate people who try to make us all the same, because that’s impossible.”
Fisher told the government directly, “Watch the movie. Look at what this is doing to families. No one should have to choose between their country and their families. These fathers are patriots. They just want to protect their families, just like any other father, and they’re doing the best they can. We need all of our allies to stand up for these families so they can live and allow their children to thrive like any other family.”
