Instagram can bring us plenty of joy – and keep us connected – but it can also shine a light on some pretty awful behaviour, and a rather sad state of affairs. Case in point: 50 Cent’s ‘joke’ about Dwyane Wade’s transgender daughter.
The rapper took to Instagram earlier this week to share a meme depicting convicted sex offender R. Kelly sat next to Dwyane Wade. A speech bubble above Kelly’s head reads, “Heard you had a daughter now,” and another above Wade says, “U touch her I’ll kill ya.”
50 Cent captioned the post, “LOL NOW THIS SOME FUNNY SH*T.”
While the rapper copped a fair amount of backlash for his post, other comments encouraged the behaviour and one even suggested Wade had “failed fatherhood.”
Earlier this month, Dwyane Wade confirmed his 12-year-old daughter Zaya was transgender and that she had told he and wife Gabrielle Union she was “ready to live my truth.”
“We are proud parents of a child in the LGBTQ+ community – and we’re proud allies as well,” Wade told Ellen.
Unfortunately, 50 Cent isn’t the only high profile celebrity to disapprove of Zaya’s decision to publicly identify as she/her. Rappers Young Thug and Boosie Badazz also made transphobic remarks in since-deleted Tweets following the announcement.
Listen to the GOAT team chat to Mardi Gras creative director Kat Dopper about all that glitters in the LGBTQIA+ community on It’s Been A Big Day For..
Despite the negative and offensive comments, there were other celebrities who ran to Zaya’s defence. Rapper Cardi B took to Instagram Live to tell her followers, “I understand that they just don’t be understanding certain sh*t, but please try to understand.”
“Because sometimes you will be wanting people to understand you. So try to understand somebody else. Especially when it is a child.”
Speaking to Zaya directly, Cardi said, “Speak your truth. Speak your truth, and educate.”
According to Business Insider and a study conducted by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital this January, transgender youth who are able to begin taking hormone blockers when they want to and before puberty have a lower risk of suicide later in life.
It’s so important to appreciate the efforts Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union are trying to make to honour their daughter’s decision to come out and protect her mental health. Instead of spreading hate about something they don’t understand, people like 50 Cent with a public platform should educate themselves and encourage acceptance.
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