Dan Le Batard Sounds Off on ‘Baffling’ Criticism of Dwyane Wade for Supporting Trans Daughter: ‘How Does This Impact You in Any Meaningful Way?’

Dan Le Batard called out critics of Dwyane Wade after the former NBA superstar was heckled at a New York Knicks game for his support of his transgender daughter Zaya.

As Wade was leaving the game with his wife, actress Gabrielle Union-Wade, a man yelled at them, “You mutilated your son.” Others booed the couple.

On Tuesday’s episode of the Dan Le Batard Show, Le Batard questioned why people feel the need to make such comments.

“A lot of people who don’t love Zaya the way the Wades do, who aren’t impacted in any way whatsoever by either Zaya or the [transgender] community,” Le Batard said, “have a lot of very strong opinions on something that is of essentially zero impact to the entirety of their life.”

The night before, Wade appeared at the Met Gala and doubled down on his comments about leaving Florida due to it being “unsafe” for his family because of recently passed and proposed legislation affecting LGBTQ people.

“Miami’s done so much for me. Florida’s done so much for me,” Wade said. “I love so many people there. So much of the fans have shown us love. But (in) the last couple years, the laws and the politics have become this big conversation, this unsafe conversation. And it’s unsafe for my daughter.”

Dwyane Wade on moving away from Florida: “I love Miami. Miami’s done so much for me…but the last couple of years, the laws and the politics has really become this big conversation, this unsafe conversation. It’s unsafe for my daughter.” #MetGala https://t.co/OcPy5cjK1f pic.twitter.com/tQZPeaHns4

— Variety (@Variety) May 1, 2023

Le Batard said he received comments accusing Wade of “encouraging his own child’s mental illness.” Again, he questioned why people appear so against the community.

“I’ve spent about 49 or 50 years of my life without ever thinking about this and without any of it ever affecting me in any way,” Le Batard said. “And the only way it affects me now is because of how appalled I am that instead of just welcoming others who are different than you — who don’t impact you — not even with necessarily equality, but just with tolerance… And then you crash Bud Light sales because you’re standing for what, exactly?

“I want to ask them: How does this impact you in any meaningful way that not only can you not sit it out, but you need to shoot beer cans with an AR-15, and in many cases, commit violent acts against a community that you don’t understand, just because you don’t understand it? What’s so hard about just sitting it out instead of going immediately to rabid hatred?”

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